Vast Majority Of Black Americans Think Trump Is Racist, Has Hurt Race Relations

Last month, President Donald Trump’s reelection team launched a campaign to try to win over black voters by advertising in predominantly black communities and hosting a special event in Atlanta. Despite the campaign’s best efforts, pulling in black support might prove difficult if not impossible, after a new poll shows an overwhelming number of black voters describing Trump as “racist.”

A recent survey conducted by Washington Post-Ipsos found that black Americans still hold a deeply negative view of the president. Of those who participated, more than 4-in-5 felt that not only does Trump hold racist views, he has made racism in the United States a larger issue today. Even more – 89 percent – said it is important that Trump does not win a second term in the White House.

The poll makes it clear that black Americans are concerned about race relations in the United States, with 65 percent agreeing that “it is a bad time to be black in America.”

One of the key pitches the Trump campaign is making to black voters relies on the fact that black unemployment under this administration has fallen to 5.5 percent, nearly an all-time low. Only 1-in-5 black voters, however, said that the president deserves credit for this achievement. A slim majority view the national economy negatively, in general. It will take a great deal of effort – if it is at all possible – if the Trump campaign hopes to shift these widely held views.

It’s not only Trump who’s trying to win favor with black voters. With the Democratic primary set to kick off in just over two weeks, those vying for the nomination have been scrambling to widen their black support base, though one candidate remains far out in front: former Vice President Joe Biden.

Asked who they would support if the primary were held today, 48 percent said they’d back Biden, whereas 20 percent would support Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Given the steady support of the policies under President Barack Obama in the black community, Biden’s political capital is difficult to match. In this latest poll, over 60 percent said they’d like to see Obama’s policies continued – something Biden’s platform largely aims to do.