DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Former President Donald Trump has been getting the support of Blacks in Detroit lately. First, on September 1st, Black Ex-Detroit Police Chief James Craig, endorsed Trump for president in a post on X/Twitter where he said, “Leadership matters and President @realDonaldTrump is the best candidate to defeat Joe Biden and get America back on track.”
Craig also spoke about Trump in a column for the Daily Caller. He said, “I rose through the ranks as a beat cop starting in the Detroit and Los Angeles Police Departments. I then served as police chief in three cities: Portland, ME; Cincinnati, OH; and then I returned home to Detroit, MI. I’ve seen every kind of crime, every kind of loss. I know what makes communities strong and what breaks them. I’ve seen despair, and I’ve seen hope. I know what makes streets safe – and I know what happens when violence runs rampant. One thing I know for sure: Leadership makes all the difference, and that starts at the top. In America today, that leadership is sorely lacking.”
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He went on to say, “Under President Donald J. Trump the economy was stronger & the streets were safer – in fact the world was safer – while America’s southern border was being strengthened & American energy was being celebrated and utilized. It was a proud time to be an American.”
Craig was one of five Republican candidates who failed to get on the primary ballot to run in Michigan’s gubernatorial race in 2022 when it was found out that the company they used filed fraudulent nominating petition signatures. Craig moved ahead with a write-in campaign but only got a little more than 23,000 votes. Currently, he’s mulling over a run for the senate seat that will open up in 2024 when Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow retires. During his eight-year tenure as the police chief of Detroit, Craig was very popular and was able to drop the homicide rate by 10% his first year on the job.
A day after Craig’s column was posted in the Daily Caller, American journalist, writer and media personality Charlie LeDuff took to X/Twitter and posted an interview with Blacks in Detroit who mostly said they would prefer Trump to Biden.
LeDuff said to one of the men, “If someone walked up to you right now and put a gun to your head and said, ‘Hey, you gotta pick one to save your life’, who would you vote for, gun to your head.”
The interviewee says, “Man, I gotta go for Trump.”
When asked if it mattered that Trump could be a felon, the man said, “It don’t matter now, sh*t, I gotta take the Orange Man” and he goes on to say that Trump shares the wealth.
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A Black woman who was interviewed didn’t sound too thrilled about either candidate but ultimately decided that she would vote for Biden if she had to make a choice.
The second man LeDuff talked to said he’d vote for Trump because he “moves” better. He said the other guy (Biden) looks like he’s about to die. The man interviewed also said he wouldn’t judge Trump on the felon part. He said, “It wouldn’t matter to me.” He said he didn’t (expletive) any babies and that he just stole “some sh*t” which the interviewee also admitted to doing.
The next guy interviewed said he would vote for Trump because “Trump gave us some money.”
Although the next guy interviewed after that said that he voted for Biden in the last election, he also admitted that it was only to get Kamala Harris into the Oval Office because he thought Biden would die. He said it was for “history” and not because he (Biden) knew what he was doing. The interviewee said, “A black woman the first time being president would be major. I don’t give a f*ck if she gets in the office and f*cks it up. Matter of fact, she can’t f*ck it up more than what it’s f*cked up now.”
LeDuff interviewed three more Black men outside of a residence sitting on some steps off a porch and they all said they were for Trump. One man who looks to be in his 40’s or 50’s said, “When he (Trump) was in office, he made sure that we got paid.” Another man agrees and said that Trump put money in the city. When asked if they cared about Trump being a convicted felon, one of the man said, “Sh*t, we’re ALL convicted criminals…We all got felonies…” His answer was met with laughter, clapping and nods from the other four people outside of the residence.
In 2016, Black voters put Biden over the top in his victory over Trump according to the Detroit Free Press who reported that churches and other groups mobilized communities to get out the vote in Detroit, a key area for Democratic victory. That effort led to Biden winning the city with 94% of the vote.
Rev. Kenneth Flowers of Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Detroit said, “It is unquestionable that Black folks in Detroit is what carried Joe Biden to victory in the state of Michigan.”
The presumptive presidential nominees, Trump and Biden, are currently tied in Michigan according to a recent Emerson College poll with 44% support each. Without the help of Blacks in Detroit to help to push the Biden over the finish line in a Trump-Biden rematch, Michigan’s electoral votes could be going to Trump this time around.
