Can Trump win over African Americans? This survey suggests there's little chance.
By Jonathan Collins February 20 at 8:00 AM
As February began, President Trump made a seemingly routine political gesture by convening in the White House with African American allies to mark Black History Month. Initially started as “Negro History Week” by famed African American historian Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month has been recognized by every U.S. president dating to Gerald R. Ford. The observance has become a period in which the country acknowledges the wide-ranging contributions of a group of Americans whose story in the United States began with bondage and chains.
Trump’s “listening session,” however, was quickly overshadowed by a set of rambling remarks in which he complained about the news media and described abolitionist Frederick Douglass — who died in 1895 — as “an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice.”
The event highlighted Trump’s particular challenges in winning over African Americans. Most obviously, he has been dogged by questions about connections between his advisers and the white nationalist movement. During the 2016 campaign, he was widely criticized by the black community for making a seemingly flippant and tongue-in-cheek appeal by asking: “What do you have to lose?” The campaign also resurrected allegations surrounding a 1973 housing-related federal discrimination lawsuit.
On Election Day, an estimated 8 percent of African Americans voted for Trump. Trump’s dust-up with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon, in the lead-up to the inauguration did nothing to ease the tensions. But with Black History Month upon us and the president perhaps attempting to establish a conversation with the black community, does Trump have any chance at winning over African Americans? Data from late in the 2016 campaign suggest little hope.
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