Thread by @stephenhjohnson

Lets analyze the most recent @EpsilonTheory note, Rich Men of Reach and apply that theory to the "Gangsta Trump" motif that is making its way across Twitter at the moment.

https://twitter.com/EpsilonTheory/status/1694397730238423041

"Gangsta Trump" or "Hood Trump" is a trope that posits that Trump is relatable to the Black community as a result of his many legal troubles, culminating with the mugshot. The trope is of course racist, but that is just bonus points.

Ben writes:

"All of the information that does in fact reach you on Social Media is the product of a great deal of effort and a great deal of expense."

I offer @DineshDSouza with 3.5 million followers...

Then add @JesseBWatters and @FoxNews (millions)

Add in a little @charliekirk11 (2.4 million followers) with a "read between the lines"...

Diversify with some @w_terrence (1.4 million followers)-who compares Trump to MLK...*sigh*

Plus large (240k followers) but lesser known accounts like this (with the added tiktok bonus for social media within social media):

And large (600k+) Black run accounts like @dom_lucre for a full on confirmation bias (Clearly the audience would see Dom as more authentic than Terrance)

And what you ultimately end up with is the common knowledge (or thing everyone knows everyone knows) that Black people will support Trump because the hood is full of felons and they now relate to him.

(What they want you to forget is that Republicans have made it difficult for felons to vote.) But Dinesh did not tweet that to the hood. He tweeted that to the base. It isn't Black people they are trying to convince at all (bonus if it happens)

The trope is too uncomfortable and forced, particularly coming from Dinesh or Watters, for it to be meant for Black voters. It is designed to comfort the base and shore up that 30 point lead after the debate. It is for fundraising and Republican undecideds.

After all, Black voters aren't who matter in the Republican primaries in Iowa, or South Carolina. The trope is to change the the common knowledge from Trump is unelectiable in the general to Trump is unstoppable in the general.

That's why you're hearing/reading it now.