On Thursday, Campus Reform released part one of a four-part video series in which reporter Jezzamine Wolk speaks with minority youth about why they have chosen to vote for President Trump in the 2020 election.
Jahmarri Green, a student at Friends University, told Wolk that in 2016, he was a “Bernie bro to the fullest.” Green noted that because he was surrounded by Democrats growing up, that was “the only way of thinking” available to him.
When asked why he has decided to support Trump this election, Green said that while Trump is “blunt” — specifically mentioning his Twitter account — the president has accomplished much. Green cited the prison reform bill, funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and low black unemployment prior to the pandemic as some of Trump’s achievements.
Seodam Kwak, a student at the University of Utah, spoke about Trump’s economy:
The economy helping minorities. I mean, you see the African American unemployment rate being [an] all-time low, Hispanic unemployment rate being [at an] all-time low. Trump’s economic plans, after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, have definitely brought up our communities of color, our minority communities. It’s helped everyone.
Prison reform and the black unemployment rate were consistent themes among the interviewed youth.
Christopher Gaffrey, a student at Wayne State University, said that while some minorities “have the ideals of a conservative,” they have “been told and conditioned” throughout their lives that “‘conservative’ is a taboo word.”
Gaffrey added that he believes Trump is a “good-hearted person” who, despite his “flaws,” is doing his best to “make American great again.”
When asked about those who claim that the president is a racist, Gerrin Alexander from the University of Chicago said that “things are taken out of context” and then seemingly blown out of proportion.
Gaffrey added:
When they say, “Well, he said that Mexicans are [rapists].” No, he did not say Mexicans are rapists. He said that there are some who are coming across here and doing bad things, such as raping or bringing drugs. He never said “all.”
Check out the entire video below (and watch part two here):
Young voters, especially young minority voters, have typically voted Democrat in presidential elections going back many years.
According to the National Election Pool Exit Poll cited by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts (CIRCLE), 83% of young black voters voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 while only 9% voted for Donald Trump. In 2012, the numbers were 91% and 8%, respectively, for Democrat incumbent Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Pew Research, which uses different metrics, reported that 91% of black voters overall said they voted for Clinton while only 6% said they voted for Trump.
The Hispanic vote, while more diverse, is still largely held by Democrats. According to Pew, 66% of Hispanic voters chose Clinton while 28% chose Trump.
As for 2020, Gallup notes that black support for President Trump appears slightly higher this year than in 2016, writing: “Gallup’s aggregated data from polls conducted July 30-Aug. 12 and Aug. 31-Sept. 13 show Trump approval – a rough surrogate for likelihood to vote for Trump – at 11% among Black Americans, with disapproval at 87%.”