Rapper 50 Cent said he sees black men “sympathizing” with former President Trump during the November presidential election.
50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, visited the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday with civil rights attorney Ben Crump and met with Republican and Democratic lawmakers. CBS News correspondent Nicole Killion asked him. On the “importance of African-American men” in the upcoming presidential election.
“They seem to be sympathetic to Trump,” he told Killion.
When asked why he believes this, 50 Cent replied, “Because they were indicted for violating the RICO Act.”
When asked if he had already made up his mind, he also said he hadn’t yet decided who he would support in the November election. He had previously said he would support Trump in the 2020 election, but then appeared to back out.
50 Cent was seemingly referring to Trump’s allegations in the Georgia election interference case, in which the former president is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Independent Committee of Illegal Offenders (RICO) statute for his involvement in a scheme to undermine the state’s 2020 election results and remain in office.
The federal RICO statute was enacted in 1970 to crack down on organized crime, often targeting mob leaders. The Supreme Court wrote in a 1989 decision that the statute was “written broadly enough to encompass a wide variety of criminal activity, which may take many different forms and attract a wide range of criminals,” according to the Associated Press.
After the federal RICO statute was enacted, states enacted their own similar laws.
President Biden’s campaign has focused in recent months on bolstering support for his reelection among Black voters, who were central to his 2020 presidential victory and whom Biden hopes to repeat in November.
The Biden campaign launched the “Black Voters for Biden-Harris” campaign late last month, aiming to partner with black groups to increase outreach to black voters ahead of the election.
The Trump campaign is also trying to expand its outreach to black voters, with Sen. Tim Scott (R-Lausanne) spearheading the effort.
A New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer poll conducted last month found Biden’s approval rating among black voters at 63 percent to Trump’s 23 percent.
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