In February, while courting Black conservatives at the Black Conservative Federation Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, former President Donald Trump, who is currently facing 88 criminal charges, claimed that Black people like him because — he asserts — he has faced discrimination in the legal system.
Trump said: “I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time and a lot of people said that that’s why the Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against.”
This week, while Trump attended the first week of his criminal trial in Manhattan, TV and sports media personality Stephen A. Smith appeared to defend the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and said: “Black folks find him relatable because of what he is going through is similar to what Black Americans have gone through, he wasn’t lying. He was telling the truth.”
Relatable!?! Show of hands: Anyone in your Black family have 88 felony charges pending, filed for bankruptcy 6x, made an attempt to overthrow a presidential election and our democracy, and still have the ability to fall asleep in court and dream of being POTUS? #BLASPHEMOUS https://t.co/xtG40vpTQ2
— NAACP (@NAACP) April 19, 2024
The civil rights organization NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) responded to Smith’s comments on X by writing: “Relatable!?! Show of hands: Anyone in your Black family have 88 felony charges pending, filed for bankruptcy 6x, made an attempt to overthrow a presidential election and our democracy, and still have the ability to fall asleep in court and dream of being POTUS?” The all-caps hashtag BLASPHEMOUS was added.
Smith responded to the NAACP’s criticism, emphasizing a distinction about the question he was asked: “This is absolutely, positively, sad that you — NAACP — would misrepresent my comments like this. I was asked what Blacks WHO SUPPORT TRUMP are thinking as to why they support him. I answer THAT question. Sad! But you’re entitled. Good luck. Maybe that will beat Trump, since little else seems to be working — which was my overall point. We shall see.”
Smith elaborated in the video below.
On Donald Trump and black people outrage pic.twitter.com/PAbhuUdl2U
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 20, 2024