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The event, titled “Congress, Cognac and Cigars” and moderated by former ESPN host Sage Steele, was the second in a series of gatherings to discuss why voting Republican benefits the black community and is part of a broader outreach effort to shore up black voter support for former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term.
But attendee questions and frequent interruptions throughout the event made it clear that while many black men in the room and across the country may be disillusioned with President Biden, that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically vote for Trump this fall. Instead, Donald and Hunt, as surrogates for the Republican Party and the Trump campaign, found themselves facing awkward conversations with a largely black audience with complex ideologies: some who will never vote for Trump, some who are undecided but willing to listen, and some looking for fellow black conservatives.
And no matter how tense it was, that was what they wanted.
“The worst thing we could have done is not come,” said Hunt, who organized the event at Studio Cigar Lounge outside Atlanta, “But what I want you to understand is that we heard you. Your voices were heard. … We know that people aren’t going to listen to us and vote for President Trump right now. Maybe you won’t, and I hope you will. But maybe you won’t.”
“I don’t care about what the public thinks. What I care about is making sure that we are — as my 13-year-old son said, ‘we stand in business.’ That’s what I care about,” added Donald, who is on Trump’s shortlist to be his running mate.
Polls show that Biden’s support among black voters, the Democrats’ most loyal base, has weakened in battleground states like Georgia. Republicans are hoping to exploit that volatility, especially in reaching out to black men. Some GOP leaders and activists acknowledge they’re not aiming to win a majority of black voters — something they acknowledge won’t happen — but even a small gain in support could help ensure Trump’s victory in November.
Among those in attendance was Werner Knowland, 40. He said he attended the event because he’s “really open” and hasn’t decided who he’ll support in the election — he voted for Biden in 2020.
“There’s a lot of things we can do better, which is why I say I’m open,” said Knowland, the technology CEO.
Knowland said he was glad the event gave him a chance to reflect on policy issues and the differences people have: Job creation, gun control and crime are top of mind for him when deciding who to vote for.
“Nobody’s perfect, so there are going to be mistakes on the Democratic side and there are going to be mistakes on the Republican side,” he added. “At the end of the day, I just want what’s best for my community.”
Jason Reynolds, a former software executive who supported Biden in 2020, came to the event with one particular question: Why were Hunt and Donald among the 192 Republicans who voted in favor of an amendment calling for the re-erection of Confederate monuments at Arlington National Cemetery?
Hunt shouted the question as Steele asked people to name the issues that concerned them most at the time. He was told to wait until it was time to ask questions, but when it did come up, Hunt said that while he doesn’t glorify the Confederacy, he remembers living in a barracks named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as a black man in the military and that it gave him “an appreciation for this country.”
Reynolds said afterwards that the event had given her a lot to think about, but that it had not swayed her political views. She plans to vote for Biden in November’s presidential election. I don’t understand why black people support Trump.
Like Reynolds, many black Americans have resented Trump’s controversial efforts to woo black voters in recent months, including repeatedly suggesting that his indictments and arrest photos would draw black voters to him.
Winning over black voters remains a tough challenge for Trump, while Biden is also trying to solidify support from the demographic that backed his candidacy in 2020. A Washington Post/Ipsos poll in April found that 74% of registered black voters said they would definitely or probably vote for Biden, while just 14% of black voters would definitely or probably support Trump. Among black men, 19% said they would definitely or probably support Trump.
The event ended with counter-arguments and sometimes contentious exchanges between attendees and lawmakers, after Hunt and Donald discussed immigration and slammed Biden’s policies. On the US-Mexico border, Alan Hill cried out, “Where’s the Republican bill to fix this?”
Donald continued to explain the Republican proposals, arguing that the US needs to secure its borders and deport people who are already in the country illegally.
Hill yelled again. “How?”
Donald began to answer, but then further questions and interruptions followed, leading Horace Holden Jr. to jump up from the back seat and start yelling at Hill, “Why are you so worried about illegals getting amnesty? You’re not going to let black men get amnesty.” [goes] “He’s been on the run for 20 years, so even if he’s ever found there’s no pardon,” Holden Jr. said.
“Everyone, calm down for a second,” Donald urged from the stage.
Holden Jr. continued yelling at Hill, “We’re talking about our community, not their community, so stay on topic.”
The event ended with Donald coming under fire from some attendees for saying at a rally in Philadelphia earlier this month that black family break-ups were less common during the Jim Crow era, but Donald defended himself, saying his comments were taken out of context and that he never said that era was good for black Americans.
Still, attendees questioned whether he was aware of the criticism of his choice of words.
“I’m going to state the facts: Yes, I’m a finalist for vice presidential nomination, I know that. The reason my statement was received that way is because the Joe Biden campaign doesn’t have the answers to what’s really plaguing black Americans today, and they’re twisting my words to say I want to bring back Jim Crow laws,” Donald said. “I don’t want to hear that nonsense.”
Hunt and Donald said they don’t expect most black voters to go to Trump this year, but believe the former president could win 25% to 30% of the vote, and they have been outspoken in criticizing the Republican Party for not doing more to win over black voters in the past.
“If there’s an indictment on the way the Republican Party has operated for the last 60 years, it’s that they’ve never taken the time to have a dialogue with black voters and say, ‘There’s another way, listen to us,'” Donald said.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley attended the event and spoke to voters before Hunt and Donald took the stage.
Among those he spoke to and photographed was Corey Lee, a 53-year-old independent. He voted for Biden in 2020 and plans to support Trump this year.
Lear said he recognizes that Trump has made racist comments in the past, but that Biden also has a history of making racially insensitive remarks and has praised racist senators, and that his biggest reason for supporting Trump is because he feels the Biden administration has been destructive to black farmers and ranchers, promising to help them but not delivering.
“If I had to choose today, I would have to choose Donald Trump,” Lee said. “Otherwise I would be signing my own death certificate. I have no other choice.”
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