Rep. Byron Donalds defended Donald Trump against accusations that a comment Trump made about black people being indicted was racist.
At a Black Conservative Federation event, Trump had suggested his indictments made him appealing to black voters because they face discrimination from the justice system.
“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,” Trump said.
When asked about this, Donalds said Trump was enjoying himself at a celebration and black voters are concerned about the economy, border, and political persecution from partisan prosecutors.
He argued black voters don’t want to see a two-tiered justice system and that Trump had a strong economy and secured the border as president.
“Congressman, it sounds like Donald Trump was implying that he can win black voters because they get indicted all the time, too. Is that what he was saying?” Kristen Welker asked.
WATCH: Trump said Black voters support him as he faces indictments because they have “been hurt so badly and discriminated against.”
Rep. @ByronDonalds (R-Fla.): “It’s part of it. … This is something similar that Black people have to deal with.” pic.twitter.com/K3sVLyzBPe
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 25, 2024
“Well, I think it’s part of it, Kristen. Look, it was a great night Friday night in Columbia, South Carolina. The president was really just enjoying himself. It was a great celebration for black conservatives across our country. But let’s be very clear, our economy is a mess. Our border is completely unsecured,” Donalds said.
“These things are causes of major concerns for black voters like it is for every voter in our country,” he added.
“But then when you layer on the fact that, yes, this is political persecution from the Department of Justice and from radical DAs throughout our country, this is something similar that black people had to deal with with the justice system themselves. And so their look of it is real simple: ‘Well, dang, if the government’s going after him with foolishness, he can’t be that bad.’ Especially considering the fact that Joe Biden is terrible at his job.”
Donalds pushed back on Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond calling the remarks racist, saying Richmond was playing racial politics.
Donalds maintained the top reason for minority Trump support was his record as president and asserted voters don’t want a politicized Justice Department.
“What I would say is that Cedric is trying to play politics and use racial politics even now as we get into the general election. That’s one. Number two, like I said at the top, the number one reason why minority voters in our country want to support Donald Trump is because he did the job of president,” Donalds said.
“He did a great job as president. Our country was secure. The economy was great,” Donalds said. “These are all things that Donald Trump talked about Friday night. He also did talk about the indictments. What Americans don’t want to see, especially black Americans and anybody else, they don’t want to see a politicized Justice Department. They don’t want to see a two-tier system of justice. They want justice to be followed. They want Lady Justice to be blind. That’s what the American people want. That’s what black voters want. That’s what everybody wants.”
