CNN did a panel of Pennsylvania voters that included one young Black man who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 and said that he intended to do so again in 2020 because "business is good." But when it came to the topic of Trump's racist "go back" attacks on congresswomen of color, the young man said it made him feel like he didn't belong in the movement anymore.
He said that most of his like-minded conservative friends have abandoned Trump due to the racism and are now supporting Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) or former Vice President Joe Biden.
Still, some Black Trump supporters remain, despite the chant or racism they see erupting from his supporters. "The Root's" Senior Writers Michael Harriot and a reluctant Stephen Crockett met a few, asking for details about why and how they pop up behind Trump at rallies.
James, who goes by Deplorable Darryl, confessed he's been to 47 Trump rallies. Trump gave him the nickname because, "he said I look like a Darryl or a Tyrone."
Darryl's wife, Keisha, almost gave their last name, but Darryl's son was nervous about people knowing they were Trump supporters.
"Mama, don’t give him our last name, I gotta go to school tomorrow! I don’t even like that racist old white man," he interrupted.
According to his mother, JJ has been mad at the couple for making him go to a Trump rally.
"He’s very intelligent but he’s not really big on politics," she said.
"I know a lot about politics! That’s why I hate Trump! He’s undermining the very fabric of our democracy!" JJ asserted. "My mama only likes him because she thinks she can get her own reality show! That’s why she dressed my little sister in a baptism dress and made me wear that dumb Boy Scout costume!"
Sure enough, standing behind Donald Trump was a miffed-looking JJ wearing his Boy Scouts uniform, Keisha in a beautiful floral dress, and hidden behind JJ was his sister wearing white.
"I’m not even a Boy Scout! Aside from sleeping on the sidewalk outside of Trump rallies to get in early, I have never been camping in my life!" JJ exclaimed.
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Photo: Screen capture from Michael Harriot of The Root[/caption]
"I thought I told you to hush! You won’t be complaining when I’m starring in the Real Housewives of MAGA," Keisha said.
Darryl was the target of a conspiracy theory from Bette Midler, who said that she believed the people of color behind Trump were probably paid to be there. But Darryl said he didn't mind, "I love the Golden Girls!"
"The Root" writers explained he was thinking of Betty White.
"Right, Bette Midler was a black-and-white film star, may she rest in power," Keisha said.
The more passionate of the two Root writers exclaimed that she was thinking of Bette Davis, and called Keisha a "dummy."
"First of all, why are you so hostile? Secondly, don’t call my wife a dummy just because we attend Trump rallies. I’m just doing this for my career," Darryl said. "I’m hoping to get a job in the White House in 2020. Maybe as head of the VA, Secretary of Defense or a seat on the National Security Council."
"The Root" writers said they didn't know he was a veteran, and Darryl said he wasn't, he works at Chipotle.
The conversation devolved into a series of debates about the name of various celebrities before the writers asked about supporting the president and his history of racism.
"Yeah, he’s racist as f*ck," Keisha admitted.
"The Root" wondered how they could still support Trump amid the racism.
"Sir, my manager at Chipotle is a 24-year-old white boy with a high school diploma. He yells at me when I slice the onions too thin. You think wearing a MAGA hat is less degrading than that?" Darryl summed it up. "We’re just a family in a traveling circus riding along in the clown car. It might be distasteful, but we get to fly to cities around the world, be on TV and eat McDonald’s with Sean Hannity."
But it was JJ that had the most poignant thoughts.
"I’ll tell you what I’ve learned," he began. "I learned to smile and act polite when I see someone waving the Confederate flag. I’ve learned that economic anxiety is just a code-word for racism. I’ve learned that Hillary Clinton is the devil, Obama is the Antichrist and there was definitely “no obstruction, no collusion.”
"But you know what else I discovered?" he continued. "I discovered that my parents aren’t any different from anyone else in that audience. Everyone there knows Trump is a liar. Everyone there knows Trump is a bigot. They all think he’s not very smart. Every single person in every single arena, amphitheater and airplane hangar knows full well that Trump is out to enrich and empower himself. And you know why they don’t care? Because they want to do it, too. They don’t care about children in cages as long as they don’t have to worry about brown people dating their daughters and moving in next door. They don’t care about unconstitutional Muslim bans if they can get their brand of religious fundamentalism on the Supreme Court. They don’t care about telling their president to 'send her back' as long they get to scream the N-word in the checkout line at Piggly Wiggly."
"And isn’t that the original American dream? A nation owned and controlled by white supremacy? It’s bullsh*t. It’s all bullsh*t!" he closed.
Darryl said he would "cuss out" Bette Midler if she was still alive.
When "The Root" told them again that Midler wasn't dead, Keisha said, "I know, I know. Her work lives on through Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia. Rest in Peace, Bette Midler. Thank you for being a friend."
It's unknown if the interviews are real, but "The Root" didn't indicate it was satire. You can read the full transcript of the Pulitzer-worthy interview at The Root, which is well worth it.
