Charlamagne tha God told CNN’s Don Lemon that some black voters have turned toward President Donald Trump because “marketing works.”
“The Breakfast Club” host made a Tuesday appearance on “CNN Tonight” to discuss the state of the election and how he planned to vote. (RELATED: ‘I Cringed, No Question About That’: James Clyburn Wasn’t Impressed With Biden’s ‘You Ain’t Black’ Fiasco)
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Lemon began by referencing the prominent black men who said either that they were voting for Trump, as rapper 50 Cent did, or that they were willing to work with whichever party was ready to listen, like Ice Cube. (RELATED: Trump Campaign Works With Ice Cube On Criminal Justice Initiative Despite Past Anti-Semitic Comments)
“You’ve seen the polls that have been done on black men, you know prominent black men who are coming out saying, ‘oh well maybe you should vote for Trump.’ Or, ‘maybe I’m looking towards Trump,’ or some just saying, ‘I need to work with both parties’ — you know what I’m talking about. What do you say to that?” Lemon asked.
“I don’t like that narrative,” Charlamagne replied. “You know, because if Trump wins, they not about to turn this into a ‘black men are the reason Trump is in office’ thing — 2016, black men voted against Trump more than any other group of men. That’s a fact. You actually need to do a show, Don, on white women and ask them why they voted for Trump in 2016 over one of their own and do they plan to make the same mistake this year. Don’t put that on black men.”
But Charlamagne went on to note that Trump was actively courting young black men, a demographic that he says doesn’t usually rate much attention from politicians.
“When it comes to those black people you see who, maybe, you know, are showing support for Trump. I just think it’s because Trump is actually talking to young, black male voters. He’s directing ads toward them. They are a group that never gets courted,” he explained, adding that when black voters were courted at all it was usually with an eye toward the older black men.
“Black women are going to show up regardless,” Charlamagne continued. “Like I said, they speak to older black men and they think rest of us all speak the same language. So Trump is targeting young black males … marketing, it works.”
He concluded by telling Lemon that he was voting for Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris and that he planned to drop his ballot off in person because he doesn’t trust the mail.
Charlamagne interviewed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during a radio interview in May, pressing him on his plans to implement an agenda that would be good for black Americans. Biden responded by saying, “You got more questions but I’ll tell you if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
Charlamagne responded to Biden’s eventual apology by saying that it wasn’t enough, arguing that a real black agenda was the way to make amends.
Harris also joined Charlamagne for an interview just after announcing her own bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, discussing everything from her previous role as a prosecutor in California and the legalization of marijuana to her favorite rap artists.