Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson suggested that former President Donald Trump could win the black vote by appealing to the same concerns other voters share.
Carson appeared on State of the Union on Sunday to explain why he thinks Trump is polling well among black voters. The former secretary implied that they share the same concerns as other people: inflation, crime, and immigration.
“I think, you know, black Americans are no different than any other Americans. You know they feel the pinch of the inflation. You know they know what it feels like when they have to go fill up their gas tank,” Carson said. “They see the crime that’s running rampant that people, repeat offenders, are being let out of prison and endangering them and their neighborhoods.”
“They see what’s happening at the border and how that’s impacting their own communities. How others people’s issues are being put on the front burner while their issues are being put on the back burners,” Carson continued. “I think those are the issues that are pushing them toward Trump.”
As a result, Carson predicted Trump would win a “higher percentage” of the black vote this November than he did in 2020. Carson long endorsed Trump before he was the Republican nominee for president.
A Wall Street Journal poll from last month found 30% of black voters were planning to “definitely or probably” vote for Trump over incumbent President Joe Biden. This is a massive swing from the 2020 election when Biden won 92% of the vote among black voters.
In 2020, black voters made up 13.5% of all eligible voters. According to the Pew Research Center, they are expected to make up 14% in 2024.
