To be clear, 27% of Black voters polled said they will vote for Trump, which is the highest percentage for a Republican since Richard Nixon received 32% of the Black vote in the 1960 election. The bigger question is, “Given the choices, will enough Black voters come out at all in November?”
“We will also work to lift up black, Hispanic and other communities in Philadelphia and all across the United States,” Trump said in his speech.
“That’s a big shift,” U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, who represents Pennsylvania’s 9th Congressional District, said about the polling. “And with younger African Americans, it’s even better. And the numbers are quite similar with Latino Americans. So look, we’ve got a lot of momentum.”
Meuser argued that Black voters’ frustrations are identical to others.
“Crime is up, inflation is up, gasoline prices are up — nothing’s being improved,” he told WHYY News. “So people say, ‘Joe Biden’s all talk and no action,’ and they want to see a course change.”
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, however, said he believes his constituents won’t fall for what he calls Trump’s lies and will come out for Biden.
“He is coming to my district to lie — not because he’s trying to court Black voters — but actually because he has no respect for Black voters and for our intelligence,” Kenyatta, who represents North Philly, told WHYY News. He pointed out that Trump had questioned President Obama’s citizenship and was named — along with his father — in a lawsuit against his company for refusing to rent to people of color early in his career.
Joe Biden is also not giving up on Black voters in Philly or elsewhere. His campaign launched Black Voters for Biden-Harris, even appearing in Philly a few weeks ago alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“Because Black Americans voted in 2020, Kamala and I are president and vice president of the United States, and with your vote in 2024, we are going to make Donald Trump a loser again,” Biden told the crowd.
The state-specific component, Black Pennsylvanians for Biden, is chaired by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and House Speaker Joanna McClinton. The goal is to promote what they see as the administration’s success in lifting up the Black community in the state and across the country.
“President Biden has fought for Black Americans every single day of his presidency and really has a remarkable set of accomplishments,” Davis told WHYY a few weeks ago. “Black wealth is up 60% since before the pandemic. Black small businesses are starting at the fastest rate in 30 years. Black unemployment is at a historic low.”
