Former President Barack Obama, who remains hugely popular nearly eight years after leaving office, stopped by the Harris campaign's field office in Pittsburgh on Thursday, and with cameras rolling, made unscripted remarks in front of Donald Trump. He was harshly critical of black men considering voting for president. .
“You come up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, and I have a problem with that,” he said. “I'm talking directly to men, and part of it is, I don't think you feel comfortable with the idea of having a woman as president.”
What about the prospects of voting for Trump? “That's unacceptable,” he said.
This blunt and shocking verbal rebuke rang especially hollow on a recent weekend. New York Times poll Black voters, especially black men between the ages of 18 and 44, are supporting Republican candidates in numbers not seen in decades.
President Trump's approval rating among black men overall is 20%, and his approval rating is even higher among young black male voters. of cross tabulation is interesting — Among Black Americans who didn't vote in 2020, Trump's approval rating was 24%. What is the reason? black voters they say they found it Trump is less aggressive than ever, more fun, and most relevant to the issues they care about most: the economy, crime, and immigration.
According to CNN's Harry EntenMr. Trump is on track to achieve the best performance of any Republican candidate among young black men since 1960.
This week has become something of a de facto Black Men's Week for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign. she, big interview Tuesday with “The Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne the God. she sat with “Shade Room” and Roland Martinand in all cases largely stuck to her scripted lines about “aspirations and dreams” and the “opportunity economy.”
There was also the introduction of a strangely clunky “.”Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” consists of five bullet points, including “Protect investments in cryptocurrencies” and “Legalize recreational marijuana and create opportunities for Black Americans to succeed in this new industry.”
new york times I decided Trump claimed to be winning over black voters by “stoking resentment and pointing to scapegoats” as he “spreads the politics of grievance to non-white voters.” Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) spoke on CNN “It's not going to happen” that “a large number of black men will vote for Donald Trump.” But condescension and denial are not election strategies.
The panic on the left highlights a real factor in 2024: young black men could be a key electorate that gives Trump an edge.
And President Trump seems to know it, too. President Trump for his extensive outreach to young people through podcasts and streamer media tours. I joined the army Full Send Podcast's Nerk Boys ramps up voter registration efforts. That includes a music festival later this month featuring rapper Waka Flocka Flame. He has millions of followers and publicly support Mr. Trump.
The “praise” for this issue means less than the reality of the more important issue. Young black men are seen promoting these issues as a reason for supporting Trump in a viral video on social media. But I was particularly intrigued by one conversation At “2WAY” earlier this month A YouTube channel hosted by Mark Halperin that features conversations with everyday voters.
A 37-year-old New York City-based black voter named Alexander said he was “not a Trump fan” but would likely vote for Trump in 2024. He said many of his friends, especially those younger than him, do the same. It's starting to lean toward Trump, which is surprising in New York.”
“There's a generational shift going on, and I don't think the older African-American community is seeing it,” he says. “Sometimes we don’t think about black men, just like we don’t think about Central America when there are states that have overpasses.”
Alexander said she is a single-issue voter and “want to own something.”
Can young black men decide elections? “It's certainly an amazing concept, and it's definitely going to be a big problem in close games,” Halperin told me. That said, this is one of many options that could be the key to victory, and “there are about 30 other groups in the same situation,” he said.
Still, there's something unique about this group. America's cultural landscape has drifted toward feminized priorities in recent years, alienating many men in the process. At the same time, the marginalization of black people throughout history confronts a political climate in which someone like Obama could become the dominant leader of a generation. If you're a Gen Z black voter, you may not remember a time before there was a black president.
For young black men, the convergence of these trends has given us a moment in which this voting bloc could act on its counterculture-embracing instincts and exert its most powerful force at the voting booth in generations. .
President Obama may think it's “unacceptable,” but that's exactly why it happens.
NewsNation contributor Steve Krakauer is the author of “Uncovered: How the Media Get Cozy with Power, Abandoned Its Principles, and Lost the People” and editor and host of the Fourth Watch newsletter and podcast.
