During an election year, some would rather walk across a bed of hot coals than highlight the priorities of Black voters. Just consider the story published by Shaun Harper in Forbes following the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, entitled, “Will Surviving Gunfire Be Donald Trump’s Next Appeal to Black Voters?” This headline was offensive on many levels. For one, it presumes “surviving gunfire” is a uniquely Black experience when it’s not.
Despite Black people being disproportionately represented among gun-shot victims, gun violence is an inherently American problem. After all, the leading cause of death for children in this country is gun violence, far outpacing any illness. Secondly, the headline suggests that a White person “surviving gunfire” makes them more relatable in the black community, irrespective of their anti-black policies. Since the backlash, Forbes’ editors quietly removed the article from their online platform. Nevertheless, this isn’t the first time during this election cycle that Black voters have been accosted in this way.
Rather than listen to what Black voters have to say about their priorities, some would rather lean into stereotypical assumptions about what they care about. For instance, a few months ago, conservative political pundits suggested that Donald Trump’s release of the “gold high top sneakers” would appeal to Black voters. Raymond Arroyo, for instance, told viewers on Fox News that “Blacks have such an attachment to athletic shoes it could cause some to jump parties.” They think so little of Black voters that they believe a shiny shoe could shift deeply held political attitudes. It’s frustrating that stories that seem to get the most traction about Black voters are those that are mocking their perspective rather than genuinely considering their policy attitudes.
Only 30% of Black Americans believe the United States has made “a great deal or a fair amount of progress” in the 60 years since the Civil Rights Act passed. These findings suggested that most Black Americans are dissatisfied with the rate of progress made toward mitigating lasting racial disparities. When asked about their priorities, Black Americans reported on a Pew Research Center poll that improving education, strengthening the economy, securing social security benefits, and reducing healthcare costs were their top four priorities, followed by dealing with problems related to poverty, reducing crime, and addressing “issues around race (Cox, 2024).” So, it would stand to reason that if you want to appeal to Black voters, you would need to offer competitive proposals for addressing these issues. Ignoring Black voters and expecting them to support you in November is a losing strategy. Indeed, if Donald Trump had to depend on Black voters, he would have never made it into the White House to begin with.
According to research published by the Gallup Center on Black Voices, there are various policy concerns held by Black people that differ from those held by White people. For instance, one poll found that Black and Hispanic Americans are significantly more vulnerable to the “physical, emotional, and economic impacts” of climate disasters (Maese & McCarthy, 2023). An interactive report found black communities throughout the United States are left “vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which can exacerbate already existing racial gaps (Bruick et al., 2023). The vast majority of Black Americans are living in areas left vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, the culmulative impact of institutional racism. Yet, their concerns regarding the lack of investment in their communities have not made it to the top of the priority list for most political candidates.
We’re hearing a lot about the age of candidates, the political upheaval within the Democratic party, and the fallout after an attempted assassination of Donald Trump, reportedly by a fellow Republican. But we’re not hearing candidates speaking passionately about the issues Black voters care about. And time is ticking. America’s legacy of racial redlining has left many black communities financially barren and in desperate need of investment. To mitigate lasting racial disparities, politicians can no longer assert that a rising tide lifts all boats. Instead, they must chart a path forward, one that includes Black voices.
The Black Thriving in America (2023) report exposed the racial discrimination that many Black Americans continue to experience in their daily lives while shopping, dining, and engaging with the healthcare industry and the workplace. The study indicates that anti-Black racism remains pervasive. Additionally, many reported feeling police treated them unfairly. Nearly two-thirds of Black Americans supported “changes to policing.” If politicians cared about appealing to Black voters, they would propose structural changes to the criminal justice system to mitigate lasting racial disparities. And yet, politicians like Donald Trump, for instance, perpetuate the myth of a colorblind American society where race does not matter—out of touch. This position is also puzzling, given his lengthy track record of racist statements and behavior. Donald Trump has insisted over the years that he wants to unite the country, but far too often, he’s used racially inflammatory language.
In 1989, Trump took out a full-page advertisement after police arrested five young teenagers of color, falsely accusing them of attacking a White woman jogger in Central Park, calling for the death penalty to be used in their case. This advertisement was reminiscent of those published to inspire a lynch mob to take the law into their own hands, a common practice during the Jim Crow Era. In 2002, each of them was exonerated and cleared of all charges when another man confessed, and DNA evidence confirmed his testimony. And yet, the then real-estate mogul and celebrity refused to apologize for the racially inflammatory letter.
In 2011, he claimed on Fox News that he was “the least racist person there is,” claiming that the presence of an African American contestant winning The Apprentice proved as much. However, despite the evidence, Trump disputed the Central Park Five’s innocence in 2013. Later, he would double down on the racist rhetoric. In June 2014, Trump claimed an “overwhelming amount of violent crime in our cities is committed by Blacks and Hispanics,” promoting the stereotype that racial minorities are more dangerous and likely to participate in violent behavior.
Trump has shown little regard for the black community over the years or their legislative priorities. And yet, he expects that simply by experiencing personal hardships, he could relate to Black Americans. To be clear, suggesting that Donald Trump’s felony convictions, gold high-top sneakers, or “surviving gunfire” make him more relatable to Black voters is a textbook example of racist stereotype endorsement. Why else would you believe that an over-priced, shiny, and headache-inducing pair of sneakers would change Black people’s policy objectives? Or that surviving a failed assassination attempt would foster enough sympathy to change Black Americans’ voting patterns. It’s insulting. Perhaps more than any other group, Black Americans realize what’s at stake in this election. A presidential election is not a popularity contest. It’s about registered voters selecting a candidate they feel is right for the job.
Trump has never walked a day in the life of a Black American, and none of the hardships he’s brought upon himself is equivalent to the unmitigated mess that institutional racism has laid bare on the black community’s doorstep. Why do some believe “surviving gunfire” is an appeal to Black voters? Because they refuse to do the work and truly learn about their political attitudes and objectives. And in the absence of genuinely understanding Black voters, they adopt assumptions, leaning into stereotypes. Those who choose to write about politics, be they journalists or concerned citizens, must be aware of the consequences of framing voters as easy to influence, especially in a nation where there is a legacy of Black voter suppression and disenfranchisement. Speaking to and listening to Black voters shouldn’t feel like walking across hot coals. But for candidates who have only a shallow, self-serving interest in the black community, listening to their concerns can be painful, so much so that they avoid the process altogether. And they should be advised that Black voters can spot disingenuous characters a mile up the road. And as they’ve demonstrated in previous elections, they’re more than willing to wield their political power to stop them in their tracks.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Allison Gaines' work on Medium.
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