Critics say Donald Trump went looking for more Black votes with a chicken run to Chick-fil-A and dismissed the “staged” stereotypical stunt as an “insult.”
Source: Megan Varner / Getty
According to WSBTV, the former president bought over 30 milkshakes for a group of Black students at an Atlanta Chick-fil-A, a moment that went viral. The event on Wednesday, where some students appeared to support Trump, quickly became a topic of discussion among political commentators and strategists.
This interaction was filled with photo ops, autographs, “The Lord’s Chicken,” as Trump referenced, and discussions about President Joe Biden’s leadership. Many videos surfaced online with the group of young patrons cheering alongside Trump, “ Bye Bye Biden.”
“I don’t care what the media tells you, Mr. Trump, we support you,” said Michaelah Montgomery. Trump supporters quickly portrayed the clips as an “organic” moment and proof of his popularity as the “people’s president.” However, even Montgomery resents this narrative.
“It’s really disheartening to see that the media makes it seem like we just stumbled into a Chick-fil-A and he bought us milkshakes,” she told ABC News.
Unsurprisingly, Montgomery is actually the leader of a Black conservative organization. This is just the former Georgia Republican Party staffer’s latest event to entice her HBCU peers. It might be promising for Trump’s team to sincerely collaborate with young Black voices. Instead, they became faces of more misinformation.
I knew it! Trump’s Chick-fil-A stop was a staged photo op with Black Republican supporters. Michaelah Montgomery, the Black woman who told Trump that “we support you,” actually runs a conservative group and worked with Candace Owens’s Blexit Foundation. ???? pic.twitter.com/IvQlb200T6
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 12, 2024
Chasing Votes: Trump’s Play For Georgia
However, this staged photo op isn’t the whole picture. Experts urge caution in interpreting this event as indicative of a shift in support among Black voters toward Trump. As much as Trump screams that the media is fake, let’s be real. The deep political and economic issues affecting Black communities warrant more scrutiny about Trump’s policies.
The vast majority of Black people won’t be distracted by Trump’s little Chick-fil-A photo op. In the state of Georgia, 92 percent of Black women voted for Biden. And when Trump lost the state, he tried to throw out hundreds of thousands of Black votes in Atlanta. We see you! ???? pic.twitter.com/TC0m1KOQVe
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 11, 2024
After all, Trump currently faces charges in Georgia for allegedly interfering with the last presidential election. Trump’s SCOTUS appointees already helped dismantle Affirmative Action and reproductive rights under Roe v. Wade. His other supporters in office have their sights set on undoing voting rights next. Days before the Chick-fil-A giveaway, Trump promised “dramatic changes” to civil rights to fight “anti-white racism.”
According to an interview with theGrio and Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, the chicken shenanigans don’t represent Black voters any more than Diamond and Silk.
“I don’t want to overblow a minor viral moment inside of a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta and make it seem like … Donald Trump is winning Black people,” said Olasanoye.
Trump’s Chick-fil-A Charade: More Than Just Milkshakes?
Pay attention to what Trump is doing. Trump’s outreach efforts to Black voters have been marked by a series of high-profile stunts. Here, he’s buying milkshakes for nearby HBCU students of Clark-Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Morris Brown College. Remember his promoted custom sneakers?
According to Fox News host Raymond Arroyo, TrumpSneakers at SneakerCon gave the former president a political boost since “Black America loves sneakers… certainly in the inner city.”
These MAGA racists think black people will move to Trump because black people love sneakers.
This is what they think of us. pic.twitter.com/hx8kLUiJHv
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) February 22, 2024
Oh, and don’t forget Trump claims that his public mugshot and criminal charges make him more relatable to Black voters.
So, let’s decode the strategy, shall we? It’s all about optics and moments that make for good TV—or good Twitter, in this case. Trump’s team is likely betting that these snapshots with Black students will paint him in a more favorable light. But do these moments come with any meaningful political plans? Or is it just another photo op to add to the campaign highlight reel?
Skeptics Speak Out: Analyzing the Applause
Source: Megan Varner / Getty
Political analysts point out that these outreach initiatives don’t offer much substance for Black American’s concerns about economic inequality, criminal justice reform, and healthcare disparities.
Critics slammed his strategy to win over Georgia in the upcoming election as downright offensive and stereotypical. Where does he expect to find common ground? A sneaker convention and a chicken spot.
“Thinking Black voters relate to Donald Trump because he spent twenty minutes handing out freebies at a fast-food restaurant is yet another insult to our intelligence – and perfect example of just how disingenuous Trump’s outreach to Black voters continues to be,” said Jasmine Harris, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, in a statement via AP News.
This disconnect raises questions about how he can actually serve most Black voters. The fact that this event was “staged” with a Candace Owens understudy just makes matters worse. Trump refers to the franchise owner hosting the event as a member of his golf club.
The entire #Trump visit to Chick Fil A in Atlanta was as staged.
Michaela Montgomery is the city director for BLEXT, Candace Owens and Brandon Tatums black centered non profit owned by Turning Point USA, which is owned by Racist Charlie Kirk.
They think you’re stupid enough… pic.twitter.com/FjeqBb54d9
— Isaac Hayes III (@IsaacHayes3) April 13, 2024
Election Countdown: Crunching the Numbers
While Trump parades around with fast food, let’s keep our eyes on the prize.
It’s concerning if this is the best Trump’s hail-mary with 206 days left until the election. No amount of rappers consigning or forcing his name onto stimulus checks will outweigh the impact of his return to power.
In that particular election, Pew Research Center states that about 8% of Black voters identified as Republican. Yet, based on the pre-election polls of 2024, this amount increased to 22%. The Black Republic statistics doubled, particularly among young voters. So clearly, Trump’s team has a strategy hard at work.
The Black community is more than a photo-op. Black people are more than the insulting images painted by corrupt systems.
Protect your votes. Stay informed.
