Mar 4, 2024 By Al Owens 4 min read

This may surprise you, but I’ve known a few Black people over the years.

I hear they’re some mighty fine people. (Don’t ask me how I know that)

According to Donald Trump, Black voters are falling all over themselves getting in line to support him for president.

Take my word for it: He’s wrong.

A few Black voters may be swayed by his insults disguised as statements of support. Most will not.

Last month, Trump tried to use his speech at the Black Conservative Federation Honors Gala as a lure to black voters. Instead, he foolishly strained to find common ground with them.

“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 so discriminated against,” Trump told the group.

That’s absolutely bunk!

Any person who has enjoyed the privileges Trump has enjoyed (much through inheritance, not necessarily perseverance) should probably think twice about throwing around the word “discrimination.”

But that’s pure Trump.

It was Trump and his father in 1973 who got hit with a federal discrimination lawsuit for refusing to rent their New York apartments to Black people.

It was Trump who took out an $85,000 full-page ad in the New York Daily News in 1989, that suggested that the Central Park Five (those five Black and Latino teenagers, who were charged with the brutal rape of a jogger) should face swift justice for their accused indiscretions.

“Bring back the death penalty. Bring back our police,” was Trump’s message.

But the Central Park Five were eventually exonerated. By August 2002, all of the Central Park Five were finally released from prison.

It was revealed that another person had committed the rape.

Yet, Trump still refused to acknowledge that he’d been wrong all along. After the Central Park Five was released, he issued another statement.

“Settling doesn’t mean innocence. These young men do not exactly have the pasts of angels,” Trump said.

So, when he became the prime instigator of birtherism against Barack Obama in 2011, Trump already knew there were benefits to engaging in misinformation.

As long as he could question the birthplace of the nation’s first Black president – he could drive the national discourse.

At least until Obama furnished proof that he was, indeed, born in the United States.

Since then, Trump has built a fortress of misinformation. Always finding ways to fib and get away with it – and not pay any price for it.

When he went to speak before that group of Black conservatives, you know he didn’t mean it when he said, “The mugshot. We’ve all seen the mugshot. And you know who embraced it more than anyone else – the Black population. You see Black people walking about with my mugshot.”

Rule #1 – Never. I mean never tell somebody that you know why they like you. If you do, chances are they don’t like you.

Rule #2 – Memorize Rule #1.

Trump isn’t alone in trying to mind-read Black voters. Raymond Arroyo, a Fox News contributor, made a complete fool of himself about those $399 (supposed) limited edition golden sneakers Trump unveiled at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia.

“As you see Black support eroding from Joe Biden,” said Arroyo. “This is connected with Black America. Because they love sneakers. They’re into sneakers. So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they (Black people) are like ‘wait a minute – this is cool.'”

Nope! It’s not cool.

It’s a shame that some people mistakenly believe that Black votes come so easily that they can be bought for a smile and a few oddly patronizing words.

Donald Trump and his supporters should probably find a better way of seeking common ground with Black voters. Discrimination, mugshots, and sneakers – just won’t do.

Another way to attract Black voters? Show them that you genuinely respect them.

That’ll work every time!

Al Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 50-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.