WAS AN EFFORT TO FORCE THE LEADER TO RESIGN.
AND NOW YOU KNOW.
>>> PRESIDENT TRUMP SPOKE TO
VOTERS IN ATLANTA TODAY KICKING
OFF A SO-CALLED COALITION CALLED
BLACK VOICES FOR TRUMP AS THE
PRESIDENT TRIES TO APPEAL TO
BLACK VOTERS HEADING INTO 2020.
>> THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WAS THE
ORIGINAL HOME OF
AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS. AND NOW AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE
RETURNING.
RETURNING. >> TRYMAINE LEE SPOKE TO SOME
BLACK VOTERS ABOUT WHY THEY’RE
STICKING WITH THE PRESIDENT AND
PRIORITIZING HIS POLICIES OVER
HIS RHETORIC.
HIS RHETORIC. >> Reporter: DONALD TRUMP AND A
HANDFUL OF OFFICIALS FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE ARE HERE IN ATLANTA
LAUNCHING WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS
A BLACK VOICES FOR TRUMP.
IT’S THEIR OUTREACH AND
ENGAGEMENT EFFORT TO TRY TO
BOLSTER SUPPORT FOR DONALD TRUMP
WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY.
I SPENT THE LAST FEW DAYS
TALKING WITH BLACK REPUBLICANS
PRIMARILY.
PRIMARILY. WHAT THEY SAY IS DESPITE THE
RHETORIC AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE
IS SOME OF THE NOISE, THEY
BELIEVE THAT DONALD TRUMP’S
POLICIES ACTUALLY BENEFIT BLACK
FOLKS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES
TO THE ECONOMY AND UNEMPLOYMENT
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS. WHILE MOST DEMOCRATS DENOUNCE
TRUMP’S RACISM, A SMALL NUMBER
OF BLACK VOTERS BELIEVE IN
DONALD TRUMP AND THINK THE
DEMOCRATIC SIDE HAS TAKEN BLACK
VOTERS FOR GRANTED AND THAT
THEY’RE GETTING TOO CAUGHT UP IN
SOME OF THE RHETORIC.
TODAY I STOOD IN LINE WITH
HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE,
TALKING WITH THEM ABOUT WHY
THEY’RE HERE, WHY THEIR SUPPORT
HAS REMAINED SO STEADFAST.
THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO VOTED
FOR BARACK OBAMA TWICE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
DEMOCRATS MUCH OF THEIR LIVES
WHO SAY THAT SINCE 1960 OR SO,
BLACK FOLKS HAVE VOTED SOLID
DEMOCRATIC BUT NOT MUCH HAS
CHANGED.
CHANGED. THEY SAID, EVEN IF THEY ARE
RACIST, EVEN IF THE REPUBLICAN
SIDE HAS RACIST LEANING, IF
DONALD TRUMP IS RACIST, NONE OF
IT MATTERS, WHAT MATTERS IS
ACTUAL POLICY.
ACTUAL POLICY. THEY SAY, WHY NOT GIVE
REPUBLICANS A TRY?
I TALKED TO SOME BLACK MEN WHO
ACTUALLY VOTED 13% FOR DONALD
TRUMP IN 2016.
AND THEY SAID FOR THEM THERE IS
SOMETHING APPEALING ABOUT THIS
IDEA OF MASCULINEITY AND THEY
BELIEVE IN BEING ABLE TO DEFEND
THEIR FAMILIES BY USING THE
SECOND AMENDMENT AND THOSE
THINGS MATTER TO THEM.
I SAT DOWN LAST NIGHT WITH A
BIPARTISAN GROUP OF BLACK
VOTERS, TWO REPUBLICANS AND TWO
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. WHILE THE DEMOCRATS WERE
STEADFAST IN, YOU KNOW, REALLY
BELIEVING THAT AMERICA NEEDS TO
VOTE OUT DONALD TRUMP IN 2020,
THE REPUBLICANS SAID, YOU KNOW,
WE’RE IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL,
WE BELIEVE IN DONALD TRUMP, WE
BELIEVE IN HIS MESSAGE.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIG
TAKEAWAYS FOR ME, HOW STRIDENT
THIS VERY SMALL GROUP OF BLACK
VOTERS WERE.
VOTERS WERE. RIGHT NOW POLLING SHOWS THAT
ONLY BETWEEN 4% AND 8% OF BLACK
VOTERS BELIEVE THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP IS DOING A GOOD JOB.
WHEN YOU TALK TO THIS GROUP,
AGAIN, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF
HUNDRED IN THIS ROOM BEHIND ME,
THEY SAY THEY’RE NOT CONCERNED
ABOUT THE IMPEACHMENT BECAUSE
THEY QUITE SIMPLY DON’T TRUST
AND BELIEVE THE MEDIA ACCOUNT.
THEY DON’T BELIEVE IN WHAT THEY
DESCRIBE AS THIS PC CULTURE
STUFF AS THEY DESCRIBE IT, THEY
DON’T BELIEVE IN GETTING CAUGHT
UP IN THE LABELS OF RACISM.
THEY BELIEVE THAT DONALD TRUMP,
ONE, ISN’T A RACIST, AND IF HE
IS, IT DOESN’T MATTER.
THIS MIGHT BE THE BEGINNING, IT
WILL BE A STRETCH TO IMAGINE
THAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE, YOU
KNOW, BLACK FOESLKS EN MASSE COM
OUT FOR DONALD TRUMP IN 2020.
BUT IN WISCONSIN DONALD TRUMP
WON BY ONLY ABOUT 20,000 OR SO
VOTES.
VOTES. BLACK FOLKS SIMPLY DIDN’T COME
OUT BECAUSE THEY EITHER, YOU
KNOW, LOST FAITH IN THE SYSTEM
OR DIDN’T BELIEVE IN HILLARY
CLINTON AND THAT’S A WIN FOR
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SPECIAL
ELECTION WE SAW JUST THIS WEEK,
BLACK VOTER TURNOUT WAS DOWN.
WHETHER DONALD TRUMP, YOU KNOW,
PICKS UP, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR SIX
POINTS, WHICH WOULD BE A
STRETCH, NONE OF THAT MATTERS,
IF HE GETS ONE OR TWO POINTS
ABOVE WHAT HE GOT IN 2016.
IF SOME FOLKS WHO WERE RIGHT ON
THE LINE IN THE MIDDLE DON’T
SHOW UP BECAUSE THEY DON’T
BELIEVE IN THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE OR ARE RE SEPTCEPTIVE
DONALD TRUMP’S MESSAGE, WE’LL
SEE WHAT THAT MEANS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ON A BROADER