The Vast Majority of Black Americans Dislike Trump, But That’s Not Unusual

The Vast Majority of Black Americans Dislike Trump, But That’s Not Unusual

Despite continued appeals to the Black community and hyperbolic statements that he has done more for Black Americans in the U.S. than any other president, President Donald Trump has never gained much traction with the group. In a new spotlight analysis, PRRI Research Director Natalie Jackson dives deep on Black Americans’ lack of enthusiasm around Trump, but also the GOP. “In the combined May–July surveys, Trump does not fare well in any subgroup of Black Americans, although views of the president do significantly differ by gender, age, and education,” Jackson writes. “Black women (10%) are less likely than Black men (23%) to view Trump favorably. Nine in ten (90%) Black women hold unfavorable views of the president, including nearly two-thirds (65%) who view him very unfavorably. Among Black men, 75% view the president unfavorably, including a slim majority (52%) view him very unfavorably.”

Jennifer Rubin: How White Supremacy Infected Christianity and the Republican Party

In an interview with The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin, PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones delves into his personal upbringing and research from his new book “White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity,” on how white supremacy came to dominate Southern culture and white Christianity. Rubin gets straight to it, asking how Trump has used white supremacy to co-opt white evangelicals in the Republican Party. “Trump’s own racist instincts are driving his strategy, and this is becoming abundantly clear to the American public,” Jones says. “Remarkably, last fall a PRRI survey found nearly 6 in 10 Americans said that his words and behavior were encouraging white supremacists.” He goes on to describe the history of GOP tactics, naming the Southern Strategy  (racist dog-whistle politics to fuel white grievances and exploit racial divisions to win elections) as a root of the problem. “When such a tactic is deployed for half a century, no one should be surprised when white-supremacist sentiments turn out to be an animating core of group identity.”

One Year Later, El Paso Mourns the 23 Lives Lost in Racist Mass Shooting

President Trump has frequently called immigrants and particularly people of Hispanic heritage “animals” and “rapists” in his time as president. This hateful language strikes a familiar tone of that of the 22-year-old from Allen, Texas, who drove 600 miles to target Hispanics in the El Paso border community. The shooter also decried an “invasion” by immigrants, and penned a 2,356 word white supremacist rant before shooting and killing 23 citizens. “All of this plays a role in how people view immigrants and minorities,” says Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX). “When you treat people like animals, then you strip them of their humanity, and I had really been carrying a fear for a long time that something bad was going to happen.” In 2019, PRRI asked survey respondents whether they agree with the statement “immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background — 40% of white Americans, 37% of Black Americans , and 22% Hispanic Americans agreed with this statement.

The Theological Roots of White Supremacy

In an interview with Bloomberg’s Francis Wilkinson, PRRI CEO Robert Jones explains how white Christianity has helped grant moral legitimacy to racist attitudes. “Even amid our current moment of reckoning and enlivened consciences around issues of racial justice, the role that white Christianity has played in granting moral legitimacy to white supremacy has largely escaped scrutiny,” Jones says. “Much of the recorded history of slavery, segregation, and racism gives scant treatment to the integral, active role that white Christian leaders, institutions, and laypeople played in constructing, maintaining and protecting white supremacy in their communities.” Jones provides a deep analysis of these attitudes in his latest book “White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity,” available for order now.