Trump and the GOP are enemies of Black America
27 May 2025
President Trump has demonstrated little regard for the Constitution, democratic norms, the environment or the rights of individuals outside of White Christian men. However, he excels at persuading people that he represents their interests. This essay explores how Trump has specifically targeted Black Americans with this deception.
"I love the Black population of this country," former President Donald Trump said Wednesday during an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago "I've done so much for the Black population of this country, including employment, including opportunity zones with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, which is one of the greatest programs ever for Black workers and Black entrepreneurs." Source
Trump frequently repeats his falsehoods, often escalating their outrageousness with each retelling, which persuades many people to believe him. In reality, however, Trump has consistently acted against the interests of Black Americans, as highlighted in the following recent articles:
1. CNN: Justice Department ends police reform agreements and halts investigations into major departments
The Trump administration is moving to dismiss federal oversight agreements in Louisville and Minneapolis reached following the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor and police killing of George Floyd, and dropping investigations into several major US police departments.
The move, announced by the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, reflects the administration’s opposition to agreements that require reforms of police departments where the DOJ found a pattern of misconduct.
2. The Washington Post: NAACP president condemns Trump administration move to drop police reform efforts
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the Trump administration’s decision to end police reform agreements and investigations into police departments.
3. The Guardian: Trump ambushes South African president with video and false claims of anti-white racism
Donald Trump ambushed the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, by playing him a video that he falsely claimed proved genocide was being committed against white people under “the opposite of apartheid”.
The hectoring stunt on Wednesday set up the most tense Oval Office encounter since Trump’s bullying of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February. But Ramaphosa – who earlier said that he had come to Washington to “reset” the relationship between the two countries – refused to take the bait and suggested that they “talk about it very calmly”.
Trump has long maintained that Afrikaners, a minority descended from mainly Dutch colonists who ruled South Africa during its decades of racial apartheid, are being persecuted. South Africa rejects the allegation. Murder rates are high in the country and the overwhelming majority of victims are Black.
4. TheGrio: Trump and GOP tax bill puts billionaires over Black lives, experts warn
Though a Republican-led tax bill expanding President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, among other tax and spending provisions, was stalled in Congress on Friday, Black elected leaders, advocates, and tax experts are still sounding the alarm on the plan that they say largely benefits billionaires and threatens the livelihoods of Black Americans. . .
“Trump’s budget is likely to harm Black Americans the most,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. He told theGrio, “His budget is calling for $15 billion in cuts to the Department of Education, the agency that enforces civil rights laws in American schools. He wants to cut $18 billion of assistance to the National Institute of Health, which includes programs related to public health in communities of color. And he wants to cut $26 billion from the rental assistance program, including Section 8.”
Most alarming to advocates, the Trump-GOP tax and spending bill calls for steep cuts to Medicaid, totaling hundreds of millions, and also calls for work requirements for recipients.
U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., warned that the tax and budget legislation would “take away health care for millions of Americans and shut down hospitals across the nation.” The senator told theGrio, “We still have major health disparities in America, from Black maternal mortality rates going up to Black Americans being more at-risk for chronic health conditions or dying from treatable illnesses.”
If you’re a Black American or someone who cares about the rights and well-being of Black Americans, it’s important to take meaningful action. Start by finding an organization that aligns with your values and see what steps they recommend. Real impact usually comes from efforts that influence public officials. While conversations with friends matter, they’re most powerful when they lead to real action.
Personally, I donate to advocacy groups and political campaigns, email elected officials, join protests, support voter turnout initiatives, circulate petitions, go door to door during campaign season and use social media to mobilize others. Others contribute by making phone calls, volunteering, or helping organizations move their missions forward. No one can fix everything alone, but each of us has a role to play in creating real progress.
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