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By Gabe Whisnant
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Amid the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump's campaign announced on Saturday a new coalition, "Black Americans for Trump," which boasts endorsements from elected officials, athletes, entertainers, community leaders and pastors from within the Black community.
The Trump campaign noted that it launched the coalition ahead of the Juneteenth holiday, which celebrates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.
The coalition announcement also coincided with Trump's visit to Detroit on Saturday to attend a roundtable discussion at a Black church as Republicans look to peel away Black voters from President Joe Biden ahead of November's election.
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"While Black Americans have been left behind by Joe Biden, President Trump has prioritized the Black community," Team Trump's Black Media Director Janiyah Thomas said in a statement about the new coalition. "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 is looking to repeat his success with Black voters, a key demographic that helped him beat Trump in 2020.
The president and his campaign have also stepped up their efforts to reach Black voters in recent weeks, amid signs he is losing support among the important voting bloc, particularly in battleground states.
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A Marist Poll published on Wednesday shows that Biden has lost considerable support among Black voters in Pennsylvania, a state he narrowly won in 2020. He had won the support of most Black voters in 2020, with 92 percent voting for him and just 7 percent choosing Trump. In Wednesday's survey, 68 percent of Black voters said they were supporting Biden, or leaning towards him, in November's election, while 23 percent said they were backing Trump. The poll was conducted between June 3 through June 6 among 1,277 Pennsylvania adults.
Among Black registered voters, Biden led Trump 57 to 12 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May, with 16 percent saying they aren't sure who they will vote for, 8 percent saying some other candidate and 7 percent saying they won't vote at all.
The Biden campaign released a statement Saturday regarding Trump's new Black voter outreach, saying the coalition is an "eleventh hour attempt" and "isn't fooling anyone."
"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," the statement read.
On Monday, the White House marked Juneteenth early with a concert on the South Lawn. "Black history is American history," Biden told the crowd. "That's why [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] and I and our administration will always uplift it and protect it."
The Trump campaign provided the following list of people in the "Black Americans for Trump" coalition:
Elected officials
- Byron Donalds, U.S. Representative (FL-19)
- Wesley Hunt, U.S. Representative (TX-38)
- Tim Scott, U.S. Senator for SC
- Burgess Owens, U.S. Representative (UT-4)
- John James, U.S. Representative (MI-10)
- Mark Robinson, Lieutenant Governor for NC and Candidate for Governor of NC
- Melanie Collette, NJ County Commissioner, Community Engagement Director for the NJ Legislative District 1 Office
Endorsements
- Melik Abdul, Fox News Contributor, Author
- Ottis "OJ" Anderson, Former NFL Running Back for the New York Giants
- John Anthony, Black & Right Radio Host and Former Illinois State Representative
- Robin Barnes, Regional Advisor, Project 21 Opportunity Zone Initiatives
- Gina Barr, Former and Current Director of Black Coalitions, RNC
- Angela Beckles, Former Public Policy Advisor, U.S. Housing & Urban Development
- Pastor Leon Benjamin , Founder, New Life Harvest Church
- Nicole Bennett, Vice-Chair, Maryland GOP
- Martell Bivins, Candidate for U.S. Congress (MI-13)
- Kodak Black, Hip Hop Mogul
- Deneen Borelli, Author and Media Personality
- Jack Brewer, Former NFL Player, Jack Brewer Foundation, AFPI
- Pastor Mark Burns, Evangelical Minister and Candidate for U.S. Representative (SC-3)
- Necho Carroll, Vice President of Operations, Black Conservative Federation
- Mark Carter, Founder, The GoRED Initiative
- Vivian Childs, Pastor & Former GA Congressional District Chairman
- Rod Dorilas, Esq., Former Counsel at the Department of Commerce
- Patricia "P-Rae" Easley, Chicago Radio Host, Black Excellence Hour
- Larry Elder, Conservative Radio Host, Author & Attorney
- Mashi Epting, Business Mogul, Philanthropist and Author
- Harrison Fields, Former White House Assistant Press Secretary
- Day Gardner, President, National Black Pro-Life Union
- Stephen Gilchrist, President, SC Black Chamber of Commerce
- B. Dwayne Hardin, Pastor, The Embassy ATL and Founder, Spiritual Legislative Council
- Kristal Hartsfield, Former National Director of Strategic Initiatives, RNC
- Cecila S. Johnson, Former RNC Black Outreach Director
- Diante Johnson, Founder & President, Black Conservative Federation
- Jalen Johnson, GA City Commissioner
- Vernon Jones, Former GA State Representative
- Quenton Jordan, Co-Founder, Black Conservative Federation
- Kwame Kilpatrick, Pardoned by President Trump, Former Mayor of Detroit & MI House
- Alveda King, Best-selling Author & Speaker, Chair of the Center for the American Dream AFPI
- Don King, Famed Boxing Promoter
- Kim Klacik, Former & Current Candidate for U.S. Representative (MD-2)
- Ayesha Kreutz, Chaplain & Frederick Douglass Foundation, State Ambassador
- Kareem Lanier, Co-Founder National Diversity Coalition & Longtime Counselor
- Bruce LeVell, Newsmax Contributor & Founder, National Diversity Coalition
- Darius Mayfield, Candidate for U.S. Representative (NJ-12)
- Michaelah Montgomery, Cofounder, Conserve the Culture
- Scherie Murray, Former NY GOP Committeewoman
- Madgie Nicolas, National Director African American Voices of Faith and Freedom Coalition
- Lynne Patton, Senior Advisor to President Trump
- CJ Pearson, National Co-Chair RNC Youth
- Billy Prempeh, Candidate for U.S. Representative (NJ-09)
- Corrin Rankin, Vice-Chair CA GOP
- Rochelle "Silk" Richardson, Influencer
- Troy Rolling, Frederick Douglass Institute
- Amber Rose, American Model, Television Personality and Singer
- Pastor Darrell Scott, Founder, National Diversity Coalition, Pastor, New Revival Church
- T.W. Shannon, Former Speaker of the Oklahoma House
- Charles "Duke" Tanner, Clemency Recipient under President Trump
- Linda Lee Tarver, PhD Theology and Education, Author, Michigan Election Integrity Activist
- Lawrence "LT" Taylor, NFL Hall of Fame, Former New York Giants Player
- Leo Terrell, Civil Rights Attorney & Fox News Contributor
- Janiyah Thomas, Team Trump Director of Black Media
- Apostle Ellis Smith, Founder of Jubilee City Church
- Bernadette Smith, Ethnic Vice Chair, MI GOP
- Ja'Ron Smith, Former Deputy Assistant for Domestic Policy to President Trump
- Carla Spaulding, Candidate for U.S. Representative (FL-23)
- Darryl Strawberry, Former NY Mets, NY Yankees and Celebrity Apprentice Contestant
- Melissa Tate, Author, Speaker, Influencer
- Scott Turner, Former NFL Player, Chair of the Center for Education Opportunity at AFPI
- Stacy Washington, Host, Stacy on The Right SiriusXM, CEO Sharent Ministries
- Herschel Walker, Former NFL Player and Former U.S. Senate Candidate for GA
- Lisa Watson, Former ACLU Chapter President & School Choice Activist
- Terrence K. Williams, Influencer/Comedian
Update: 6/15/2024, 5:45 p.m. EST: This article has been updated with more information.
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