CNN anchor Jake Tapper hammered the President for remarks he made about the black community, only to be rebutted by analyst Van Jones who said actually, Trump “doesn’t get enough credit” for the “good stuff he has done.”
The exchange highlights a chasm between media reporting of Trump’s accomplishments for the black community and what people are actually feeling in those communities about his efforts.
Tapper began by taking exception to comments made during the last presidential debate in which Trump said he’s “done more” for the Black community than any president with the “possible exception of Abraham Lincoln.”
The President also declared himself as the “least racist” person in the room.
“Eight in ten black Americans believe that Trump is a racist, according to a Washington Post/Ipsos poll earlier this year,” Tapper criticized, failing to acknowledge the media and his own network’s role in fomenting that myth.
“Why does the president make comments like that instead of acknowledging that he has said things that seem insensitive but he wants to work on it?” he continued.
Why? Because actions speak louder than words, Jake. You’re so hung up on ‘insensitive’ words taken out of context that you can’t see the accomplishments.
‘Nobody has done more for the black community than Donald Trump and if you look, with the exception – possible exception – of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I’ve done.’ #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/p3iu3iRIZa
— ITV News (@itvnews) October 23, 2020
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Van Jones Defends Trump After Tapper’s Attack
Tapper likely didn’t see Van Jones, a prominent black analyst for the same network, coming to the President’s defense.
But that’s exactly what happened.
“I think it’s really unfortunate because Donald Trump, and I get beat up by liberals every time I say it but I keep saying it, he has done good stuff for the Black community,” Jones fired back.
“Opportunity Zone stuff, Black college stuff, I worked with him on criminal stuff, I saw Donald Trump have African American people, formally incarcerated, in the White House, embraced them, treated them well,” he continued.
“There is a side to Donald Trump that I think he does not get enough credit for.”
Van Jones: President @realDonaldTrump “has done good stuff on criminal justice, on opportunity zones, and on Black colleges”https://t.co/AGgMAzBP0n pic.twitter.com/N9VQgOZBY5
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 23, 2020
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He’s Right, Tapper is Wrong
President Trump listed his numerous accomplishment for the black community during the same debate, something Tapper ignored in trying to argue against the Lincoln comparison.
“Criminal justice reform, prison reform, Opportunity Zones with Tim Scott, a great Senator from South Carolina,” Trump said.
“He came in with this incredible idea for Opportunity Zones. It’s one of the most successful programs. People don’t talk about it,” lamented the President.
Tapper dutifully proves him right. A real journalist would have pointed out both sides of the argument. Tapper is not a real journalist.
President @realDonaldTrump in #Wisconsin lists his accomplishments for Black Americans: We got criminal justice reform done, opportunity zones done, and I funded HBCUs with more money than they were even looking for pic.twitter.com/6SsiEUtOBH
— Team Trump (Text VOTE to 88022) (@TeamTrump) October 18, 2020
It’s worth noting that Scott, whom Trump mentioned, has predicted the President “will see a 50 percent increase in his African-American support” on election day.
.@SenatorTimScott to Neil: President Trump will see a 50% increase in his African American support, it will go from 8% in 2016 to a minimum of 12% in 2020 pic.twitter.com/a0eCJI70wo
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) February 20, 2020
CBS reporter Major Garrett declared just before the new year that even Barack Obama would be envious of President Trump’s record with minorities.
“That is a legacy on the agenda side that almost any president after three years would want to claim, particularly President Obama,” Garrett said.
CBS News’ Major Garrett: President @realDonaldTrump has a policy legacy of helping minority communities that “any president…would want to claim” pic.twitter.com/H4G3JQbJpM
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) December 29, 2019
In the interim, President Trump’s approval rating among likely black voters has nearly doubled … in one week.
Morning Reader Data Points:
National Daily Black Likely Voter Job Approval For @POTUS – October 19-23, 2020
Mon 10/19 – 25%
Tue 10/20 – 24%
Wed 10/21 – 31%
Thu 10/22 – 37%
Fri 10/23 – 46%— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) October 23, 2020
Charlamagne Tha God, a popular African-American radio host, recently had thoughts on why young black voters were opening up to President Trump.
“I think it’s because Trump is talking to young black male voters, he’s directing ads toward them,” he told CNN’s Don Lemon. “They are a group that never get courted.”
Charlamagne went on to suggest that the “old democratic regime” speaks to “older black men and they think everybody else is going to fall in line.”
“They speak to older black men and think the rest of us all speak the same language.”
Charlamagne Tha God tells Don Lemon “Trump is actually talking to young black male voters, he’s directing ads toward them. They are a group that never get courted.” pic.twitter.com/w1Xpi7Za8R
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) October 21, 2020
It wasn’t all praise for President Trump from Van Jones, however, as he accused him of sending mixed messages to white nationalists.
“The Black community can appreciate some of the stuff that he’s done, but when they see him playing footsie on Twitter with these white nationalists organizations, it just wipes it all out,” Jones claimed.
