Polls suggest that more Black men—up to 17-20%—will be voting for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Are these polls overhyped? Or are Trump and the MAGA movement genuinely appealing to more Black male voters? Reporting from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, TRNN’s Taya Graham speaks with Black delegates about why they support Trump, and why they think other Black men will, too, in November.
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Post-Production: Stephen Janis
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Taya Graham:
Hello, this is Taya Graham for The Real News Network and I’m here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Republican National Convention. And I had a question, polls are saying that Black men are going to be voting more and more, for former President Donald Trump, and I wanted to know why. So I came to the Black Republican Mayor’s Association event to ask the source, why they are voting for Donald Trump and why they think more Black men will be doing the same.
Michael Austin:
Michael Austin, Kansas Republican Delegation.
Taya Graham:
Why are you representing the Republican Party?
Michael Austin:
I’m a guy that really likes to focus on facts and of course, just, is it easier to live your life, buy a house, run a business? And it’s clear that President Trump has done an amazing job for the African-American community, of course, for me and my family as well. And so I have no qualms about supporting him again this time.
Taya Graham:
Black voters have a tendency to vote Democrat, what would you say to them to sway them?
Michael Austin:
Well, I’d say Black Democrats or Black voters are just like any other American voters, they care about the prices at the pump, they care about the prices at checkout. And it’s clear that four years ago, prices were considerably cheaper than where they are now. So if you want it to be a little bit more affordable to live your life, not live paycheck to paycheck, then let’s actually vote for the guy who actually made that happen in our lifetime and that’s President Trump.
Taya Graham:
I’m going to ask you to comment on something that Michigan representative, John James said, and he said last night, Republican National Convention, he said, “I’m going to say something that’s going to make progressives mad. There is no racism in this country.” When you hear a statement like that, do you think that represents most Black Republican slots?
Michael Austin:
I don’t know about most Black Republican slots, but I think what he was speaking to is just that this is the land of opportunity. Jim Crow was 50, 60, 70 years ago, and by and large, where we end up in life is a real decision of our choices. Whether we’re willing to make that hard decision, make that hard work, and tirelessly work to see that the dreams that we have, and I think it goes to show, that while there are still bad actors out there, by and large, if you work hard, you can still achieve what you want to do.
Taya Graham:
In relation to the vote, we’ve been seeing polls that are saying that African-American men look like they’re really going to turn out for Trump. What are your thoughts on this? We saw that it could be as high as 20%, whereas it seems like African-American women are lagging behind.
Michael Austin:
I would agree with that, I think that’s exactly what’s happening. More African-American men are moving towards Conservatism or the Republican Party. And I think that’s on, one, because of Trump, but also two, the Democrat party has been demonizing men, whether you’re white, Black or red. They’ve been telling men that you shouldn’t be men, they’ve been telling that men should be women or that men should play in sports with girls or women, and I feel like it’s simply pushing them away. So I see it’s kind of a two-pronged effect, we have Trump here, that’s doing what he can to entice more Black Americans, whether you’re a man or a woman, and then you have the Democrats that only want to pick and choose who they want to be in their party.
Diante Johnson:
So my name is Diante Johnson, I’m the president of the Black Conservative Federation.
Taya Graham:
Let me just ask you, what drew you to the Republican Party?
Diante Johnson:
The policies, the principles, First Amendment, Second Amendment, Common Sense regulation, Free Enterprise, Limited Government, those are the policies that drew me to the party. But also, protecting the sanctity and dignity of life.
Taya Graham:
As I’m sure you know very well, most Black folks are Democrats. What would you say to them to bring them to your table?
Diante Johnson:
Well, I tell people to look at your situation, the situation that you’re having right now. If you’ve been voting Democratic for so long and you’re still in the same situation, it may be time to change. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Taya Graham:
The polls are showing that Black men might come out as high as 20% in support of former President Trump, seems like Black women are lagging behind a little bit though. Why do you think President Trump and his platform are appealing to Black men?
Diante Johnson:
Democratic Party has, for so long, pushed Black men aside in the homes, in the jobs, in the criminal justice system, they’ve never been a target. And so the Republican Party has started to appeal to them, because of the policies, because of what you’re seeing in the community, because of everything that you’re seeing. Even when it comes to the birthplace, saying that, “Oh, a man doesn’t have, it’s not his choice, it’s the woman’s choice, it’s her body, her choice.” The 1990 crime bills that Joe Biden did a then Kamala Harris’s tough on crime policies as well. Those are things that we’ve seen, those are things that the Black men have seen and they’re saying, “Listen, why am I supporting this party that has done this?”
Taya Graham:
On the convention floor last night, and I saw Michigan Representative, John James, say that, “I’m going to make a lot of progressives upset, but I’m going to say it again. There’s no racism in the United States.” How would you respond to that statement?
Diante Johnson:
So I would never say that there’s no racism in the United States, I would say that, unfortunately, there’s bad actors. Unfortunately there’s bad people, but I would say that there’s racism on both sides, but I wouldn’t say there’s no racism in the United States.
Steven Mullins:
My name is Stephen Mullins and I am part of the Connecticut Delegation to the Republican National Convention.
Taya Graham:
I want to know what brought you to the Republican Party, what policies inspired you?
Steven Mullins:
I have been active with the Republican Party since I was a child. I was politically inspired by President Reagan, as an elementary school student, and I’ve stuck with it. I believe in the conservative values that the Republican Party offers, socially, fiscally, I think it is the way to go.
Taya Graham:
When you say socially conservative, what do you mean?
Steven Mullins:
Socially conservative, I believe that when a male is born a male, he remains a male, I believe when a female is going a female, she remains a female. I am not going to be part of any type of delusionary thinking. I’ll respect people and how they feel, but I am not going to get to the point where I believe that it’s okay for a male who believes that he is a female to enter women’s spaces. Participate in women’s sports, go into women’s private spaces, locker rooms and bathrooms. I think it’s completely inappropriate and I think there’s certain gender roles that we have to fit into and that should not overlap.
Taya Graham:
When you say fiscally conservative, I’ve seen a couple Republican presidents run up that debt, so I’m kind of wondering about the fiscal conservative policy you’re talking about.
Steven Mullins:
You are right, and so far, I did not see that with President Trump, all right. We saw it with Reagan, we saw it with Bush, both Bushes, I have not seen it with President Trump, so that makes him different than other Republican presidents that we’ve had in the past. I do have my issues with him from time to time, but in general, he is the man that we need to have in Washington right now, as the head of state, as the commander in chief, as our leader, he is the only one. So far, he has completed the promises that he’s offered. We’ve heard presidents from both parties, confirm that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and that the embassy of United States, should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It did not happen with either President Bush, it did not happen with President Obama. But in less than four years, President Trump fulfilled the promises that they did not make, by actually moving the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to the true capital of the state of Israel, Jerusalem.
Taya Graham:
I would guess from that statement, and please correct me if I’m wrong, that you support the United States to continuing sending arms to Israel for the Palestinian conflict.
Steven Mullins:
I believe that Israel is our best friend in that region and we should do everything that we can to support them and there should be a peaceful resolution. I believe in a ceasefire on both sides, all right. Some say, ceasefire, but I mean, ceasefire just for Israel, I believe a ceasefire for both sides.
Taya Graham:
I’ve seen polling as high as 20% that say African-American men are going to be voting for former President Trump, but it seems like Black women are lagging behind a little bit. Maybe you could share with me why you think Black men are being drawn to vote for former President Trump.
Steven Mullins:
I’ve spoken to so many Black men, who are secretly supporting President Trump. I’m like, “Come out of the closet, come on. Show what you believe in.” But it’s going to be a major surprise. As far as Black women’s concerned, Black women right now are the most loyal supporters to the Democratic Party, and I don’t know why that is. But my mother, because Senator Scott was talking about, we all love our mothers, my mother is a big time, not big time, but she’s a supporter of the Democratic Party. And I respect that, and that’s just all there is to it. She’s voted for me, but as far as others are concerned, the answer’s been, no. So it’s going to take time, it’s going to take time.
Kevin Fulton:
Kevin Fulton, F-U-L-T-O-N. I represent Houston, Texas, I’m a delegate.
Taya Graham:
I should have known from the hat. What drew you to the Republican Party?
Kevin Fulton:
I started out as a Democrat, which is what traditional Blacks start out with, just because of family and the community. What drew to me, was faith, I was disappointed in the Democratic Party no longer recognizing God in their platform. And then I became pro-life, and so I had to shift to a party that recognized pro-life. And the third major thing is, I came from a low-income area, and when you asked for help, Democrats told you, “Go get welfare.” Republicans talked about incentives, about how to start your business, how to grow a business, how to make money outside of the government, and that was what resonated with me.
Taya Graham:
What would you say to bring more Black voters to your table?
Kevin Fulton:
I would say, don’t listen to the rhetoric, do your research. Amber Rose spoke last night and I was shocked, but she basically said, she did the research just to prove her dad wrong, to show her dad that Trump was a bad person. During her research, she figured out that it is all not true, and so I would tell Blacks, don’t look at the rhetoric, look at the policies and the programs that are put in place by a Democratic Party and Republican Party and see which one betters our communities.
Taya Graham:
It seems like polling says 20% of African-American men are going to be voting for Trump, it seems like Black women are being a little slower to join the club. What would you say it is about former President Trump that is drawing Black men to him?
Kevin Fulton:
Economics. At the end of the day, Black men are the ones that’s impacted most by high unemployment, inflation, trying to take care of their jobs and open borders. So those types of things impact the Black community and a Black men specifically. So that’s why you see a huge shift in Black men moving towards Trump.
Taya Graham:
Do you believe closing the border would actually help African-American men get jobs?
Kevin Fulton:
Yes, because what happens is, increase in illegal immigration shows an increase in unemployment for Blacks and first-generation immigrants. Those two groups are hurt the most in the job market whenever there is open borders and there’s a flood of illegal immigration.
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