Donald Trump

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Donald Trump". Your opponent's style: AOC

Donald Trump is not racist

Are you serious right now? Listen, the federal government doesn't just sue random people for fun - they sued Donald Trump and his father in 1973 for refusing to rent apartments to Black families [1]. This wasn't some misunderstanding or witch hunt - the lawsuit was based on evidence gathered by testers for the New York City Human Rights Division, which alleged that black people who went to Trump buildings were told there were no apartments available, while white people were offered units [1]. The FBI investigated for two years and found multiple Trump employees that confessed that they had been instructed to divert Black applicants for apartments, to discourage them, to tell them that apartments that had been rented when they hadn't been [8]. They literally marked rental applications from Black people with the letter "C" - and we all know what that stood for. This wasn't just one isolated incident either - the Justice Department considered the case "one of the most significant race bias cases" at the time [1]. When other developers got caught doing the same thing, they settled quickly and promised to do better. But Trump? He hired Roy Cohn - yes, that Roy Cohn from the McCarthy era - and fought it for two years before finally settling. You can't start your real estate career systematically excluding Black families from housing and then claim you're not racist. That's not how this works.

That was the past. He has changed

Changed? Honey, please. Just this year alone - 2024 - he said immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country," which is literally Nazi language straight from Mein Kampf [1]. He questioned Kamala Harris's racial identity, calling her a "DEI hire" and saying she "turned Black" [1]. He called Puerto Rico an "island of garbage" through his rally speakers and stood there smiling [2]. This isn't ancient history - this is happening right now, today. Counties that hosted his rallies saw hate crimes more than double compared to similar counties [3]. When researchers exposed people to his racist rhetoric in experiments, they became more prejudiced toward multiple groups [3]. You're telling me someone "changed" while they're actively using eugenic language about "good genes" to white audiences in Minnesota [1]? While he's posting racist nicknames for Asian American officials like calling Elaine Chao "Coco Chow" [1]? People don't magically transform from systematically excluding Black families from housing to becoming champions of racial equality. They especially don't change while they're doubling down on the exact same playbook - questioning citizenship, attacking prosecutors of color, promoting white supremacist talking points. The only thing that's changed is he's gotten bolder about saying the quiet part out loud because his supporters keep making excuses for him.

Well Biden is even more racist with the crime bill

Oh no you don't - that's not how this works. The Crime Bill had widespread support from Black communities and leaders because they were literally being terrorized by crack cocaine and violence [1]. 58% of African Americans supported the crime bill, compared to 49% of white Americans, and a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus supported the legislation. Jim Clyburn, one of the most powerful African American elected officials, said "Crack cocaine was a scourge in the Black community. They wanted it out of those communities" - that's why Black leaders voted for it. When your neighborhoods are drowning in violence and drugs, you ask for help. But here's the difference: Biden evolved. He's acknowledged the bill's harmful effects and now supports the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act to undo the damage. Meanwhile, Trump is out here right now calling for the death penalty for drug dealers and praising dictators who execute people without trials. You're comparing someone who made a policy mistake 30 years ago with broad community support to someone who's actively promoting Nazi rhetoric about "poisoning the blood" in 2024. That's not the same universe of wrong, and you know it. Biden learned from his mistakes - Trump doubles down on his racism every single day.

If Trump is so racist, explain why a racist president would provide the most funding to HBCUs of all presidents and create opportunity zones for blacks

That's exactly the kind of tokenism I'm talking about! You're holding up HBCU funding like it erases decades of racist behavior - that's like saying "I have Black friends" while using Nazi rhetoric. First, let's get the facts straight: Trump "did no more for HBCUs than any other U.S. president" and "there is no evidence that the Trump administration's investment in HBCUs is the highest compared to previous administrations" [1]. The FUTURE Act that he loves to brag about? Rep. Alma Adams said "The only words the president contributed were his signature, 'Donald J. Trump'" [1]. Congress did all the work - he just signed his name. And here's what's really happening right now in 2024: Trump is redirecting $500 million to HBCUs "covered largely by cuts to other colleges serving large numbers of minority students" [8]. He's literally robbing Pedro to pay Paul - taking money from Hispanic-serving institutions to fund HBCUs so he can claim credit. This is classic divide-and-conquer racism! Pit minority communities against each other while he uses "blood poisoning" language at rallies. You think someone genuinely committed to racial justice would cut funding for Latino students to boost his political talking points with Black voters? Supporting HBCUs doesn't give you a racism hall pass when you're simultaneously calling immigrants vermin and questioning the citizenship of Black officials. That's not progress - that's political theater designed to confuse people exactly like you.

Trump loves black people and his support from blacks increased

Getting a few more Black votes doesn't erase racism - that's like saying a plantation owner wasn't racist because he had house slaves. Trump got 20% of Black voters in 2024, up from 8% in 2020 - but that still means 80% of us saw right through him. And here's what your "increased support" really looks like: The gains weren't from Black voters switching to Trump - they came from different people showing up to vote, and those who did switch were "largely canceled out by Black voters who switched in the opposite direction". You know what actually happened? Black voters in Wisconsin made a "dramatic 13 percentage point shift towards Trump" because they were worried about poverty and healthcare - not because they suddenly think he loves them. When you're desperate about putting food on the table, some people will vote for anyone promising change, even someone using Nazi rhetoric. But let's be crystal clear: The majority of Black voters still see him as "hostile to communities of color" even while some approve of his job performance. You can think someone might help the economy while still knowing they're racist - that's called survival politics, not love. Eighty percent of Black voters rejected him even after four years of propaganda. That's not love - that's the vast majority of us saying "we see exactly who you are."

You're getting your facts wrong again. Trump got 15-16% of Black voters in 2024, not 20% - and that's still a massive rejection by the Black community. Trump went from 8% to 14% according to the most comprehensive data [1]. But here's what you're completely missing: A comprehensive study by Sacramento State found that 86% of Black voters chose Harris compared to only 12% for Trump - nearly identical to Biden's 2020 numbers [2]. The supposed "shift" was mostly about turnout differences, not people actually switching sides. And those economic concerns you mentioned? Young Black men were pessimistic about the economy and cited inflation as their top issue, but they still retrospectively approved of Trump's presidency by only net +2 [1]. That's barely breaking even - hardly the love affair you're claiming. The real story is that these shifts were largely the result of differences in which voters turned out, not voters switching parties [3]. Different people showed up, but the underlying preferences stayed the same. When Black voters who actually knew Trump's record participated, they overwhelmingly rejected him. You can't spin 86% rejection as acceptance. That's not survival politics - that's the Black community seeing exactly who Trump is and saying "absolutely not."

Look, you're playing with numbers to avoid the real point. Fine, let's be precise: Trump got 15% of Black voters according to Pew Research [3], 16% according to AP VoteCast [1], and one exit poll said 20% [2]. But here's what you're missing - these increases were driven not by individuals switching preferences, but by changes in who turned out to vote. While some Black voters did switch from Biden to Trump, these defections were largely canceled out by Black voters who switched in the opposite direction. The Sacramento State study you mentioned? It found that 86% of Black voters chose Harris compared to 12% for Trump - nearly identical to 2020. And support for Harris among Black men increased by 24% over time, with 82% voting for Harris on Election Day, while support for Trump dropped to 17%. You're celebrating crumbs while ignoring the feast. Trump improved from net +84 Democratic advantage in 2020 to net +67 in 2024 - that's still a 67-point landslide rejection! Even among young Black men who were "pessimistic about the economy," they only retrospectively approved of Trump's presidency by net +2 - barely breaking even. Eighty-six percent of us said "absolutely not" to Trump. That's not a love story - that's a community that knows exactly who he is and wants nothing to do with him.