When asked in a new interview with Semafor about people who have denounced his well-documented history of racism, Donald Trump trotted out the tiredest cop-out in the book: “I have Black friends.”
A new article from reporter Kadia Goba boils down the Trump campaign’s deeply cynical belief that Black celebrities — particularly Black athletes with criminal records — are key to attracting Black male voters. Some of Trump’s remarks also speak to the hypermasculine projection and paternalism at the root of the connection he’s sought to build with Black folks.
“I have so many Black friends that if I were a racist, they wouldn’t be friends, they would know better than anybody, and fast,” he said. “They would not be with me for two minutes if they thought I was racist — and I’m not racist!”
Nothing says “I don’t know Black people” like assuming our proximity to a white person is a stamp of approval for their behavior.
Of course, some Black people are willing to associate with some truly despicable racists, whether for money, fame or access. It’s worth noting that several of the celebs who go to bat for Trump in the Semafor article have done business with him in the past. The article also highlights Trump-supporting athletes Herschel Walker and Lawrence Taylor (who crossed paths with Trump during his short-lived ownership of a football team), Mike Tyson and former “Celebrity Apprentice” star Daryl Strawberry — who Trump evidently thinks can shield him from allegations of racism.
Trump’s remarks offer a crash course in gaslighting and white paternalism, as he frames himself as the strong, male presence Black folks crave to feel secure.
For example, this:
They see what I’ve done and they see strength, they want strength, okay,” he said. “They want strength, they want security. They want jobs, they want to have their jobs. They don’t want to have millions of people come and take their jobs. And we — that’s what’s happening. These people that are coming into our country are taking jobs away from African Americans and they know it.”
Trump is using the classic conservative strategy of pitting African Americans against immigrants. His talk about Black men needing his “strength” and “security” portrays us like needy children desperate for a role model, or puny loners longing for a brawny man to make us feel safe. This, from the candidate who wants to indemnify abusive cops and crack down on “anti-white” sentiment.
At another point, Trump claims Black folks relate to his criminal convictions “through osmosis” because “they see what’s happening. And a lot of them feel that similar things have happened to them.” I wrote earlier this week about why that logic is twisted. And the Semafor article cites data from pollster Cornell Belcher’s firm to throw some cold water on recent news reports about a spike in support for Trump among Black men.
The article goes a long way in explaining the Trump campaign’s desperate hope of reaching Black men through victimhood and a worldview that promotes toxic masculinity as true manhood.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.