In 2016, the Rev. Darrell C. Scott — a fundamentalist Pentecostal minister in Cleveland's African-American community — expressed his skepticism about Donald Trump's presidential campaign. But in 2024, Scott is an outspoken Trump supporter who is urging other Blacks to vote for him.
The Guardian's Ed Pilkington reported that Scott, a former drug dealer, is claiming that 25 to 30 percent of Black voters may back Trump over President Joe Biden in November.
Scott told The Guardian, "I hear a lot of positivity regarding President Trump in the Black community. Very little negativity. Those I speak to have changed their tone against him. 'Trump's not so bad after all,' they say."
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But according to Pilkington, Scott's pro-Trump efforts are getting a lot of pushback from the former president's critics.
"For speaking out on Trump's behalf," Pilkington wrote, "Scott has been labeled an Uncle Tom, a sellout, a money-grabbing opportunist. And that's just the start."
Scott's message to Blacks in Cleveland is unwavering: support Trump in November, not Biden. But it's a message that some of the Cleveland-based Black voters The Guardian interviewed are flat-out rejecting.
Voter Leshelle, who is 30, told The Guardian, "Trump's a psychopath; he's not getting my vote."
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And 60-year-old Charles told The Guardian, "I would never vote for Donald Trump. He's a criminal and not a good person."
Ernest, who is 76, told The Guardian, "Our democracy is at stake because of Trump's rhetoric."
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Read The Guardian's full report at this link.