Donald Trump’s Support Among Black Voters Is Growing, But His Policies Don’t Help Black People
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Donald Trump does not care about Black people. A fair rebuttal could be that many other politicians don’t care about Black people. The difference is that Trump has made it clear that he also doesn’t respect or likely even recognize the humanity in Black people — and many other groups, for that matter. His recent appearance at The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference, where he made false and racist claims about Kamala Harris’s identity by questioning and dismissing her Blackness, is just another moment in a long list of moments where his disrespect was on full display.
Despite his insistence that he’s the “best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” his actions are proof that that’s not the case. There’s his dishonesty surrounding his role in funding HBCUs, his plans to eliminate programs that will help with student loan debt (which disproportionately impacts Black people), and the destruction he’s set in motion and plans to continue when it comes to our health care.
Despite the clearly defined reasons for Black people not to support him, The New York Times recently published an opinion piece that shared the thoughts and political perspectives of 11 Black men in America — all of whom expressed support for the former president. Although a majority of Black voters still align with the Democratic Party over the Republican Party, and thousands of Black men and Black women have now come together to raise funds for Vice President Harris’s campaign, it’s likely that many Black people know at least one Black Trump supporter — especially among younger adults and especially among men. According to a poll conducted by the 1AP-NORC Center for Public Research, about one-third of Black adults under 45 have a positive view of Trump, whereas only 1 in 10 Black people over age 45 view him favorably.
To anyone who is considering supporting Trump — someone who has downplayed slavery, spurred a conservative-led fight against critical race theory (which limits folks' ability to acknowledge the history of Black people in America), and is actively working to create a world that’s more oppressive and dangerous for a majority of citizens — take a moment to recall the chaos and division that came to be during his first term. Then pay close attention to what he’s promised to do if he’s elected again.
He’s being dishonest about funding HBCUs.
A frequent talking point Trump employs when trying to boost support among Black voters is his role in funding historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In fact, four of the Black men who spoke to the Times about their support for Trump referred to this: “If he’s so racist, why is he giving to HBCUs? Why is he the president that gave the most money to HBCUs?” asked Branden from Nevada.
Trump often takes credit for the 2019 FUTURE Act, which permanently authorizes funding for “minority-serving” higher education institutions and increases the authorization of appropriations for Pell Grants. However, he did not come up with the idea or participate in the negotiation for that law. Much of the work was done by members of Congress, including its co-sponsor, Representative Alma Adams (D-NC). Trump’s role is widely reported to be merely adding his signature to the bipartisan bill after it had already been passed by Congress and reaping the benefits of its popularity.
In 2017, just two years before Trump signed the legislation that would financially benefit HBCUs, the then-president questioned the constitutionality of federal funding for HBCUs, saying, “It benefits schools on the basis of race.” and proposed cutting federal financial aid, such as work-study programs and Pell grants. This aid is overwhelmingly helpful for nonwhite students, with nearly 60% of Black students and about half of Native American, Alaska Native, and Hispanic students receiving a Pell Grant each year. During that same year, according to NPR, Trump skipped out on the annual meeting with HBCU leaders and Congress — just one month after he said that some of the white nationalists in Charlottesville were “very fine people.”
Also, if funding is all it takes to secure a vote, keep in mind that this year, Biden’s administration has invested a historic $16 billion in HBCUs, in addition to the $7 billion it had already invested.
Trump could eliminate federal education funding elsewhere, too.
It’s also worth considering what might happen to the Department of Education under another Trump presidency. Although he claims not to be involved with Project 2025, a sprawling roadmap for reshaping the federal government compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation, CNN reported that at least 140 people who had worked in the Trump administration had a hand in drafting the document. This includes more than half of the listed writers and contributors to “Mandate for Leadership” — a manifesto for overhauling the executive branch.
According to Project 2025, the $167 billion in federal student loans that have been forgiven by Biden, “must never happen again.” The document also proposes eliminating the Department of Education and putting an end to federal education funding, public service student loan forgiveness, and the income-driven loan repayment program. Many Black people rely on student loans and are affected by student loan debt at a higher rate than white people.
His record for helping Black folks financially doesn’t hold up.
“I think [the economy is] better because he’s not a politician, per se. He’s a businessman. He thinks of getting money, making money,” Paul from Georgia told the Times, regarding his support for Trump. Paul has a point: Trump’s business approach has been all about making money. But for whom? Definitely not for Black people. In 2018, the newspaper previously reported that during Trump’s administration “the average tax cut going to a white American household is more than double one going to a Black or Latino one.”
Trump also frequently brags about how under his administration the unemployment rate for Black people dropped to the lowest rate “ever recorded.” In reality, the unemployment rate for Black people got to its lowest recorded rate in 2023, under the Biden administration.
Trump has no interest in enhancing the well-being of Black people. To him, we’re just pawns in his quest for power and mostly relegated to his racist perception of people doing “Black jobs.”
Trump wants to grant police immunity.
Trump has expressed interest in providing cities with more funds to hire police officers and has promised to provide immunity to police officers facing lawsuits for misconduct. He’s also encouraged major cities to employ aggressive (and racist) policing tactics, such as “stop and frisk.” These decisions would inevitably impact Black folks the most since we are killed by police at a much higher rate than other groups.
His advocacy for increased policing and dismissal of the impact on Black and brown people isn’t surprising. This is the same man who took out a full-page advertisement calling for the death penalty for five Black and Latino young men — then referred to as the Central Park Five and now known as the Exonerated Five — for a crime they didn’t commit.
He’s not protecting our health care, either.
There’s also Trump’s attack on our health care. Although the Affordable Care Act dropped the health insurance coverage gap between Black and white adults from 9.9 to 5.3 percentage points, Trump has been vocal about repealing or replacing it. He proposes rolling back the recent law banning surprise medical billing and through his association with Project 2025, there’s also a threat to cut and make significant changes to Medicaid (and about half of Medicaid enrollees are Black or Hispanic).
Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, are both anti-choice — with Trump proudly owning his role in overturning Roe v. Wade. Although he claims he wouldn’t support a federal abortion ban, the former president publicly supported one in 2016. Then there’s Vance, who in 2022 said he’d like abortion to be illegal nationally. This comes after he’d implied that people who are pregnant as a result of rape and incest should be forced to carry to term in 2021. This anti-choice stance not only affects people who would like to end pregnancies, but it also jeopardizes the health and well-being of people who want to give birth. In a country where Black women are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes, these laws will impact Black women and Black families at a disproportionate rate.
As a Black person, life under the Trump presidency felt deeply unsafe. Violent racists were emboldened and empowered, unlike anything I’d seen in my lifetime. To willingly choose a leader who will cultivate a culture of hatred and division the way he has is, frankly, one of the least patriotic acts I can think of.
Trump does not care about Black people. He doesn’t care about brown people, Muslim people, poor people, or women from all walks of life. Patriarchy won’t save Black and brown men from attacks on their livelihood through racist policies. Whiteness won’t save white women from attacks on their livelihood through misogynistic policies.
For clarity, this isn’t about allegiance to a political party. As a Black person, I’m mindful of the promises, actions, and inaction of all candidates. This is about our place in history. We’ve inherited a society that, in many ways, is less explicitly racist and segregationist. Still, the movement for civil rights is far from over. How we vote matters. It will shape some of the most pivotal chapters in American history books — and will likely influence whether or not they’re even allowed to be read.
Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
Want more U.S. government coverage?
