Why these black New Yorkers are voting for Trump in 2020 nypost.com/2020/02/29/why… via @nypost
While he captured just 8 percent of the black vote in 2016, recent polls suggest things could be different this time around.
In November, an Emerson poll reported a 34.5% approval rating among black voters, and a January Gallup poll reported a 14% increase in satisfaction over race relations among Americans.
When Trump announced his candidacy, I thought it was a joke,” said Kyree Davis, who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. “I said, ‘Hopefully, he’s not the racist, bigoted a–hole he portrays on TV.’
“At first, I was scared, because of the way he talks, that we’d go to war immediately. I was afraid he’d run the country as a cold business,” said the Staten Islander, who works in high-end retail sales. “But those fears were not realized.”
He started to support Trump after the president’s first year in office, mainly due to immigration policies. “It’s why I got behind him. It’s one of the biggest issues facing America today. And I noticed the tax cut.”
“We all got more money in our paychecks — it’s not just for the rich,” said Davis, who disagrees with some of Trump’s foreign policy positions, particularly with Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Still, Davis, who is gay, said he pays a social premium for supporting Trump. “I’ve been called Uncle Tom, Uncle Ruckus [a character from the ‘Boondocks’ comic strip], traitor, house Negro, Oreo — white on the inside,” he said. “Literally everything but a proud black man.”
Quan Lanae Green almost voted for Hillary in 2016. But the married mother of 3 ended up sitting out the election.
“She was a woman and I wanted to support another woman, but it didn’t feel right to vote solely on that,” said Green, who was raised a diehard Democrat.
“She was a woman and I wanted to support another woman, but it didn’t feel right to vote solely on that,” said Green, who was raised a diehard Democrat.
But over the past couple of years, she’s broken from her family.
“Democrats are a bunch of hypocrites and really take advantage of the African American vote. Democratic politicians [think they] don’t have to work hard for the black vote. They take [it] for granted,”
“Democrats are a bunch of hypocrites and really take advantage of the African American vote. Democratic politicians [think they] don’t have to work hard for the black vote. They take [it] for granted,”
“In Poughkeepsie, I’ve seen a bunch of promises to the black community that haven’t been fulfilled,” she said, citing a parade of Democratic leaders who promised more community centers, more money for schools and to rebuild parks.
“They haven’t done anything like that,” Green added. “They’ve built new jails in the community.”
Meanwhile, she said, her life has improved under Trump.
“I’ve been doing very well financially,” said Green. “Since Trump’s been in office, my stocks have increased exponentially.”
Meanwhile, she said, her life has improved under Trump.
“I’ve been doing very well financially,” said Green. “Since Trump’s been in office, my stocks have increased exponentially.”
