Former President Donald Trump recently stopped by an Atlanta Chick-fil-A restaurant where he chatted with workers and treated customers to chicken and milkshakes. A video of a Black woman embracing Trump went viral. “I don’t care what the media tells you, Mr. Trump,” she said, “We support you!”
God believes in irony.
I have come a long way as an introverted Black kid who does not say much. I was raised in what would be deemed a normal Black family with the usual blind loyalties to Democrats. As a teenager, however, I discovered Thomas Sowell’s column in Forbes magazine and started rethinking my prior beliefs.
My newfound interest in conservatism and my burgeoning intellectual curiosity distressed some members of my family. “The Republican Party supports rich people,” said my Aunt Mamie. I did not respond.
But Black America has very little to show for its unwavering faith in the Democratic Party. And today, I am not alone in doubting Democrats.
The current presidential election will be won at the margins. And Americans are showing their frustration. They feel sticker shock every time go to the grocery store. They feel stuck in place, despite working so hard. They sense that the political elite are more concerned about representing their well-heeled friends than the average person. They are tired of culture war issues that pander to the extremes on the right and the left.
African Americans are Americans. We have the same feelings, and like other Americans, we sense that things have only gotten worse over the past few years. And this is why Black voters are slowly turning away from Biden.
Four years ago, then-candidate Joe Biden lectured his supporters about Black authenticity. “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” he said during an interview with Radio personality Charlamagne the god.
But Democrats are not entitled to Black political support. Today, Biden’s support among Black voters in seven swing states has dropped in comparison to the last election cycle. According to a Wall Street Journal poll, 57 percent of Black men plan to support Biden, compared to 30 percent who said they will vote for Trump. This shift would be a catastrophe for Biden. Four years ago, 87 percent of Black men voted for Biden.
In the same survey, 77 percent of Black women are planning to vote for Biden, while 11 percent plan on voting for Trump. In 2020, 93 percent of Black women voted for Biden, and he just barely won by the skin of his teeth in a handful of states.
Black voters have historically supported the Democratic Party for about six decades. But they are increasingly questioning the dubious return on their political investment. They were the ones who rescued Biden’s struggling presidential campaign in the 2020 primaries. Even so, they haven’t seen a payoff.
Usually, during an election cycle, politicians visit Black churches to make campaign pitches from the pulpit. Their speeches contain honeydew words and soul-stirring emotional pleas with references to Martin Luther King and civil rights leaders of the past. After the speech, candidates shake hands with the congregation.
It’s all so much theater. Once in office, they deliver little or nothing that this invaluable constituency needs.
Since 2021, Biden has overlooked the concerns of the Black community, even as the administration is laser-focused on other constituencies. The White House aggressively supports migrants and gays. Ukrainians are receiving far more time and attention from the current president than Black people ever have.
Black voters are just waking up to the idea that Democrats take their loyalty for granted. Their awareness is a threat to Democrats’ very existence as a party.
If Democrats are failing Blacks, it’s inevitable that Blacks will take another look at the alternative. Trump remains manifestly unfit for the presidency, but some Black voters remember the lower gas prices and the brighter economic performance during his presidency.
“Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” Black folks are asking this question while checking their bank accounts and noticing the skyrocketing prices for goods and services.
If the current trend of Black voters slowly abandoning the Democratic Party continues, it will be an important inflection point for American politics. Democrats had better wake up while there is still a chance to turn things around and make Black voters a priority.
As the old saying goes, Black voters have permanent interests, but they do not necessarily have permanent allies. They want better schools, peace and economic prosperity just like everyone else in this country. And despite old loyalties, they will ultimately vote for whatever party and candidate can deliver.
Donavan Wilson is a writer in Washington, D.C.