On Friday, Trump told a crowd of Black conservatives that his indictments boosted his support among Black Americans. He argued that he, like them, was a victim of discrimination, despite being a white billionaire.
Bizarre claim
“I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing, and a lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against,” Trump argued.
Tying it off
“It’s been pretty amazing,” Trump continued, but possibly, maybe, there’s something there.”
The situation
Trump made the comments while speaking to a group of Black conservatives at a black-tie event in South Carolina. The event was hosted the day before the state’s primary.
Lack of evidence
Trump has repeatedly claimed to be a victim of discrimination, arguing that the multiple criminal cases against him are a “witch hunt” orchestrated by his political rivals. However, as the Associated Press noted, “there is no evidence President Joe Biden or White House officials influenced the filing of 91 felony charges against him.”
Repeated claim
Days earlier, Trump bizarrely compared himself to Alexei Navalny, the Russian dissident who in February died in a remote arctic prison. He had been sent there by Vladimir Putin for his opposition to the Russian strongman’s autocratic rule.
Doubling down
“Navalny is a very sad situation and he’s very brave, he was a very brave guy,” Trump said on Fox. “He went back, he could have stayed away, and frankly probably would have been a lot better off staying away and talking from outside of the country as opposed to having to go back in, because people thought that could happen, and it did happen.”
The fated return
In 2021, Navalny made headlines for making the choice to return to Russia, even though he had recently survived a poisoning attempt that was believed to have been orchestrated by Putin. “I don’t want to give up either my country or my beliefs,” Navalny explained.
Explanation
“I cannot betray either the first or the second. If your beliefs are worth something, you must be willing to stand up for them,” Navalny continued. “And if necessary, make some sacrifices.”
Dismal comparison
Trump compared Navalny to himself, arguing on Fox that his criminal cases are proof that the US is “turning into a communist country.”
Mountain of evidence
Among Trump’s 91 charges are some relating to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Despite launching dozens of lawsuits, the former president and his allies have yet to produce any concrete evidence that the election was anything other than free and fair — yet they continue to attempt to question it.
History of racism
In 2019, in the leadup to the 2020 election, PBS interviewed Black Americans who were angry about Trump’s history of posting racist tweets. Speaking about one time Trump told a group of American congresswomen of color to “go back” to where they came from, one person told PBS that “it was very hurtful to see the person who is the leader of the country that I live in and that I respect and love, speak that way to U.S. citizens.”
Unacceptable rhetoric
Another Black American told PBS, “The most important thing that we can have happen is the president needs to keep talking because he’s showing his true colors, he’s showing how he really feels.”
Remembrance
“There’s not a different standard being applied,” one person explained to PBS. “The standard is justice. The standard is equity. And if you’re not saying those things, it is landing — particularly on people of color’s ears — very differently than it ever has before.”
Nevertheless
However, in January the Guardian reported that Biden’s support among Black voters had declined since 2020. Polls in the months prior showed over 20% of Black voters supporting Trump — far more than any Republican candidate has received since the Civil Rights era.
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