The remarks on the eve of the GOP primary echoed those in which he compared himself to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina — On the eve of the South Carolina primary, Donald Trump made a direct appeal to Black voters, not just by touting his record on issues they’ve prioritized but by comparing his own criminal indictments to the decades of legal discrimination they’ve faced.
“A lot of people said that that’s why the Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m discriminated against,” Trump claimed.
He insisted that Black voters had flocked to him because of the mugshot photo from his booking in the Fulton County jail. “When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1,” Trump claimed. “You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population.”
Trump’s appearance provided a telling illustration of how the former president sees the political motivations of Black voters. While Trump has made inroads in the community — and the crowd on Friday lapped up his remarks — there is no evidence that his criminal charges have won him their support. Similar comments made in the past have received pushback from Black voters who scoff at the comparison of his personal troubles to their experiences with the criminal justice system.
But the audience on Friday appeared to relish Trump’s speech, and he received some of his strongest applause for such lines, which echoed recent public statements in which he compared himself to recently deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“This is Joe Biden’s worst nightmare, a room of hundreds of proud Black Republicans,” Trump said during a winding speech to a ballroom of conservative Black leaders at the Black Conservative Federation’s annual Honors Gala on Friday night.
Trump frequently veered off script, such as when he stared out into the audience and joked, “The lights are so bright in my eyes and I can’t see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones, I can’t see any white ones. That’s how far I’ve come.”
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'That mug shot is No. 1': Trump courts Black voters in S.C. with attacks on legal system https://t.co/jYHBZn6vPB
— POLITICO (@politico) February 24, 2024
Expectations of Trump are so subterranean low that this doesn’t even cause a media blip. If Biden did this, a million headlines and op-eds would explode like stars birthing a new galaxy https://t.co/rtDDn640uf
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 24, 2024
This would get Trump fired from almost any serious institution in the country. But yeah, let's elect him president. jfc https://t.co/qTTSyjXCWQ
— Robert E Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly) February 24, 2024
Black leaders are condemning former President Trump’s recent comments about Black voters as "racist."
Speaking at the Black Conservative Federation gala, Trump said his legal woes have earned him the support of Black voters around the country. https://t.co/ON16gkJYWY
— The Hill (@thehill) February 24, 2024
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) defended former President Trump against allegations of racism after Trump said Black voters are more likely to back him because of his criminal indictments. https://t.co/9mPIPprAfB pic.twitter.com/Bm10SEtFwO
— The Hill (@thehill) February 25, 2024
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