Trump Is Bragging About Endorsements from Black People. He Paid Some.
Donald Trump’s campaign announced the creation of a new conservative coalition over the weekend: Black Americans for Trump. But he failed to mention that at least three of his new endorsers are on the Trump family payroll.
Dozens of prominent Black Americans appeared on the list released Saturday, from former Georgia State Representative Vernon Jones to former NFL safety Jack Brewer. But the names of three former staffers for the RNC and the Trump campaign also, curiously, found their way into the coalition.
They include former RNC official Gina Barr (who is currently titled as the Trump campaign’s Executive Director of Black Coalitions), Trump campaign spokesman Janiyah Thomas, and senior Trump advisor Lynne Patton—who has received more than $233,000 in “payroll” disbursements from the Trump campaign, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
In a statement, Thomas framed the coalition’s numbers as symbolic of a growing frustration among Black Americans that they have been “left behind” by Democrats.
“While Black Americans have been left behind by Joe Biden, President Trump has prioritized the Black community,” she said in the statement. “Donald J. Trump’s coalition message to the Black community is simple: If you want to return to the policies that created rising wages, more quality jobs, stronger borders, and safer neighborhoods, then join Black Americans for Trump and vote for President Trump in November.”
Biden narrowly secured the 2020 election in large part thanks to communities of color in key swing states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan. But Biden’s campaign—which was found in a May Reuters/Ipsos poll to be leading Trump by double digits among Black Americans—wasn’t bothered by the “eleventh hour attempt.”
“Black voters sent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House in 2020, and they’re ready to make Donald Trump a two-time loser in 2024,” Biden-Harris 2024 Director of Black Media Jasmine Harris said in a press release obtained by Spectrum News.