OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump claimed at a Black Conservative Federation gala that Black people supported him because they saw parallels between the discrimination he faced through repeated criminal indictments and their own experiences.
His remarks went viral but were often taken out of context.
Trump argued that his indictments showed injustice and that Black communities embraced his mugshot as a symbol of solidarity.
Trump at the Black Conservative Federation Gala: I got indicted and lot of people said that’s why the black people like me… pic.twitter.com/QENwQvvyLI
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 24, 2024
He framed his legal troubles as something endured “for you, the American people” and “the Black population.”
Trump said, “Black conservatives understand better than most that some of the greatest evils in our nation’s history have come from corrupt systems that try to target and subjugate others to deny them their freedom and to deny them their rights. […] I think that’s why the Black people are so much on my side now because they see what’s happening to me happens to them.”
“My mug shot — we’ve all seen the mug shot, and you know who embraced it more than anybody else? The Black population,” continued the former president.
“You see Black people walking around with my mug shot, you know, they do shirts and they sell them for $19 apiece. It’s pretty amazing — millions by the way,” he emphasized.
Trump added, “The lights are so bright in my eyes, and I can’t see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones, I can’t see any white ones. That’s how far I’ve come.”
While some interpreted his words as saying Black people like him because he’s a criminal, Trump’s full speech portrayed his indictments as proof he faced the same discrimination and fought for the same freedoms as Black communities.
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