Donald Trump's recent comments at an event for Black Republicans were meant to draw in a more diverse voter pool, but they may have backfired, a political strategist said Saturday.
The former president was criticized for his "pandering" remarks at Friday night's Black Conservative Federation Gala, where made numerous comments that stood out to political onlookers. Among other things, Trump confused a CNN panel when he looked into the crowd and said, "I can only see the black ones."
But Trump also said Black people "like" him because he was indicted and because they view him as having been discriminated against.
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"They were doing it because it's election interference," he said, adding that indictments helped his appeal among certain minority groups. "A lot of people said that's why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against."
That didn't sit well with Antjuan Seawright - CEO of Blueprint Strategy, LLC - who appeared on MSNBC on Saturday.
"You know, the caucacity of the former president in 2024, to speak to us as if it's 1964," he said. "The language he used last night came from a place of being fluent in privilege."
He continued:
"Not only was I disgusted, but I hope that people tuned in, and gave an indication of what type of leader he would be. Black voters are persuadable voters, we know when we show up, we shift the conversation, we shift the atmosphere. But speaking to us like we are second-class citizens, in the 1960s, certainly is not going to encourage us to vote for you."
He concluded, saying "Black people are casting a survival vote in this election, and so, voters will have a real choice. But Black people will certainly use this as a weighing factor on how they show up in the upcoming election in November."
