Despite the pressure, rapper Ice Cube will not recant his partnership with the Trump administration on the all-new Platinum Plan. After doubling-down several times, Ice Cube once again praised the administration’s pitch to the black community.
Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News over the weekend, the rapper said that he made a hard pitch to both presidential campaigns to see which one would take reform seriously. After the death of George Floyd, the rapper felt that too many people were focused on police reform and not enough on financial reform. As to what he appreciated about the plan, he felt it was a specific pitch to black Americans.
“I like that it’s aimed towards black Americans, you know, that’s the key. I just think whatever we do got to be aimed towards black Americans,” he said.
Ice Cube emphasized that black people have been unfairly lumped in with other groups through buzzwords like “minority” or “people of color.” Going forward, Ice Cube said he feels that black Americans should be at the front of the line in terms of getting help from any programs.
Though Ice Cube reiterated that he does not wish to be used as anyone’s political pawn or be lumped in with big-name figures like Candace Owens, he did respond to those criticizing his working with the Trump administration.
“At the end of the day, they’re mad ‘cause I’m just willing to work with anybody that’s willing to work with me to see some of these things that’s in the Contract with Black America come to pass,” he said. “I’ve been getting pushback ever since I came out with the Contract with Black America, you know, from everybody who really don’t want us to … have real demands, but people who just want us to basically shut up and vote, and I’m not gonna do that.”
“I’m a citizen of this country just like everybody else, and I can say what I want to say,” he continued. “I’m not aligned with anybody’s personal views. I only care about what they do in public as far as helping the public and, you know, empty rhetoric, empty talk, everybody’s popping off, at the end of the day, we need to get what we need in this country to survive. If we don’t get that, this country won’t survive. And that’s what I’m saying.”
Rapper Lil Wayne praised President Trump’s Platinum Plan last week as a wonderful gift to the black community.
“Just had a great meeting with [President Donald Trump],” the rapper said in a tweet. “Besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership. He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done.”
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