U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) speaks to reporters in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C. | Source: Alex Wong / Getty
Do you know why it’s clear that white conservatives don’t actually care to hear what Black people as a whole think about Donald Trump and the GOP? They keep asking Black conservatives.
Recently, House Republican Byron Donalds made an appearance on the right-wing propaganda center that pretends to be a news network, Fox News, and he was asked how he would “assess the support by the African American community for President Trump” as if Donalds were some kind of ambassador for Black people and not a cookout reject who blindly denounces reparations and whines about getting sent copies of Uncle Tom’s Cabin because he’s widely perceived as a step-and-fetch MAGA lapdog.
MORE: Republicans Are Mad Cori Bush Called Byron Donalds A Black GOP ‘Prop’
“Oh it’s growing, I can tell you that right now,” Donalds said of support for Trump by Black people. “Because, at the end of the day, our economy is struggling. That’s hurting every segment of America, including Black America. More and more Black Americans say we gotta have Trump back.”
Truthfully, there have been a number of polls that have shown a slight uptick in Black Trump support, but nothing so significant that Republicans can plausibly claim there’s anything going on close to some revolutionary wave of Blacks for MAGA trending across the nation. But conservatives are going to stick to the narrative—even going as far as to spread racist nonsense about Black people loving Trump now because of his mugshot—because the MAGA world’s leading strategy is repeating a lie enough times that it must be true. Much like they keep repeating the lie that Trump would be some kind of economic savior to America and, specifically, to Black people when, truthfully, the economy began to tank during his presidency, and all he did was lie about how much he helped Black people economically and take credit for economic gains the administration before his was actually responsible for.
As for Donalds, the rep who recently dropped his bid to be House Speaker, got all in his feelings back when Rep. Cori Bush called him a “prop” for the GOP, but what other reason would there be to ask him specifically where Black people, in general, are at politically? I mean—bro, you’re doing prop work.
Donalds was also asked on Fox News if he would accept an invite to be Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential race.
“With respect to being potentially on the ticket, that’s really up to the president,” Donalds said. “I have no control over that. The only thing I will say is, I just want to do whatever I can to get our country back on track. That’s what I have always been committed to.” (He wasn’t asked if he had any say in who became Trump’s VP, he was asked if he would accept if he were asked, which is a big “if,” but whatever.)
Let’s be real, of course, Donalds wants to be Trump’s running mate. This is the guy who has dedicated a huge chunk of his platform to the promise that President Joe Biden will be impeached on unspecified (or intentionally vaguely specified) reasons, but out here dry-humping an ex-president who is drowning in federal and state criminal charges, including a RICO indictment. What Donalds clearly wanted to say is: “Hell yeah, I want to be his running mate. I mean, we both have “Donald” in our names. We could be ‘Donald & Donald!’ ‘The Donalds!’ ‘Donald Squared!’ That duck don’t have sh*t on us!”
And Donalds can, by all means, be a Trump cheerleader all he wants, but he needs to stop pretending he speaks for Black people. Because he doesn’t. He speaks for white people who wish he spoke for Black people. That’s it.
SEE ALSO:
Rep. Byron Donalds: Copy Of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ Was Sent To His Office ‘To Depict Me As A Sellout’
