We do have new pulling data out from the NAACP which actually finds that Donald Trump support among Black men under the age of fifty is dwindling, dropping from twenty seven percent when they asked the same question in a survey last month to now twenty one percent. In the meantime, Kamala Harris's support among this block has jumped from fifty one percent to fifty nine percent over that same timeframe.
So for more on what's really going on here with this important demographic, we turn to Derek Johnson, the president of the NAACP. Thank you so much for being with us here on Bloomberg TV and Radio. There's just a week left to go to change the minds of black men, of black voters in general. What are you seeing in real time.
Well, it is the trend of what happens during this stage of election cycle. After Labor Day, people slowly begin to pick more attention to average vulner nicols. We get to the election day, we are finding, as we've always found that as people pay attention to educate themselves around what's important, this election isn't about the individual candidates.
It's not even about the political parties. It's about the public policy priorities, and the more young.
African American voters, particularly those who are under fifty, get factual information about what's at stake, we begin to see a shift, a gradual shift towards Vice President Harris. It was to be expected because during this period of time, this is what always happened. But it's really important that those voters are spoken with, they listened to, and they as they understand the value and the portance of their vote.
Director Johnson, it's good to have you back on Bloomberg TV and radio. You know, the narrative that we heard over the summer to your point before Labor Day, although a little bit after the story was that young men of color were gravitating toward Donald Trump, that this is a Republican nominee that was accomplishing something that the GOP was not used to making in ruads with the community that was typically not favorable to the Republican candidate or
the nominee in this case. Does he deserve some credit as a Republican for crossing those lines to break through with young black men.
Well in Benniti, your question is if that was a factual statement I have heard over the last five election cycles about this drifting of core Democratic voters in one direction as a result of some strategy from the Republican Party. I recall hearing it in two thousand and two thousand and four. It's the Latino community, or can recall hearing some of the same narrative.
Around the American community broadly.
Speaking, particularly twenty twelve and twenty sixteen, especially twenty sixteen. And so that's a narrative that's great for media consumption, but I have yet to find any factual basis.
For much of the narrative.
The poem we did is a random sample, and originally it was a question around voters under few African Americans who failed, no one was speaking to them.
They are not being heard and the ones of their vote. But as you.
Close the timeline passed Labor Day, as voters are spoken to, they are being heard and they understand the impact and importance of their vote as relates to the public policy issues that are on the table, we begin to see the natural shift as we have identified in our pole, and oppolling is only a snap shot in time.
This was early October.
Now we've analyzed the pole considering what happened last week and particularly Sunday, there's even a greater shift I will predict well.
As you allude to Sunday, there obviously were a number of racist remarks made at the Madison Square Garden rally for Donald Trump, not necessarily by the former president, but by many of those who spoke before him. What do you make of where we are rhetorically right now, Derek, and what the signals about the way the country can move forward toward the advancement of all people, colored people included.
Well, we've gone from the loss of stability in our public discorce around vible candidates to the laws of supporting the importance of democracy.
What we witnessed on Sunday was a show of fascists.
You know, I just completed Robert Carroll's book on LBJ and he talks about the Nazi gathering in the thirties as a backlash of the New Deal policies.
And what he describes in his book and what I see that took place in matters since where gardens is very similar.
You talking about appealing.
To the lowest comedy nominator around the racial construct and ethnic background across the board. That has nothing to do with strengthening our democracy or the traditional debate around the role of government and taxi that is about creating a space of other whole communities and dehumanizing people than joke.
What's interesting we heard from jd Vance, of course Donald Trump's running mate on this, and he is obviously taking a different tact than you are in this case, Director Johnson. We're just getting this ready because he was asked about it and spoke to some of the offensive rhetoric that we heard at Madison Square Garden, remembering that he was there. He had a speaking role in this five hour rally, and even though he claims he didn't hear this joke, he reacted to the overall criticism.
Here he is and my own view on this is, look again, I haven't seen the joke. You know, maybe it's a stupid racist joke, as you said, maybe it's not.
I haven't seen it.
I'm not going to comment on the specifics of the joke, but I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America. I'm just I'm so over it.
Just want you to react to that, Derek Johnson, that were too easily offended at every little thing in the United States of America.
Deny its existence, diminish its impact, pivot back to the message, and then carry on with the message of other rising individuals, the meaning communities and trying to create a space where white supremacy exists. It was the same thing doing the debate that you use three strategic tactics. You call out xenophobia, they're taking our jobs, You put a racialized liss on it, those Haitians, and then you create a reality where you say these individuals are not even human by saying they're
eating our dogs and cats. It's a strategy that's tried and true, where you otherise communities to try to prop up and motivate a base to vote against all of these impending, not sub human individuals who are taking something from us. And then when you get caught in that you denied existing, you try to marginalize its impact, and then you pivot back to their message.
So that's the messaging we're hearing from one side, Derek. We'll hear more messaging the closing argument as it's being built from Kamala Harris tonight at the Ellipse here in Washington. What does she need to say to black voters.
Well, I don't think it's one side versus the other side of this kind.
This is those who support democracy and celebrate the diversity that we have wrong into being. You know, I recall being in school that we talked about America is a mixing pot and it brings in ethnic groups and racial diversity from around the globe. Even President, former President Reagan talked about that we celebrate our diversity, that you could be Eastern European, you can be a Catholic or Jewish.
But once you've become an American and citizens, we're all America. And that was nineteen eighty the nineteen eighty's Ronald Reagan.
Unlike anyone else, they say this is the leader of the party. He's the Shinaga example, and they have the
party so far from that example. This evening, I would only think that the Vice President will speak to all Americans to talk about the strength about democracy, the need to protect our democracy as we look forward to a future that's inclusive, productive, and continue to lead this globe as the leading democracy and doing so without tearing anybody down and maligning any particular individual or community.
We've only got about thirty seconds left, sir, will Kamala Harris enjoyed the same level of support from Black Americans that Joe Biden did in twenty twenty.
I believe that Americans would turn out to the polls, especially Black Americans, to support what could potentially be the first African and East Asian president female of this country.
Appreciate your sharing the new polling info with us. Stay in touch with us. Derek Johnson, of course, President CEO of the NAACP