Donald Trump says indictments boosted appeal to black voters, who ‘embraced’ his mugshot
- The ex-US president compared the criminal charges he faces to anti-black prejudice in the American legal system
- Trump also said he knew many black people because his properties were built by black construction workers
Former US president Donald Trump claimed on Friday that his four criminal indictments have boosted his support among black Americans because they see him as a victim of discrimination, comparing his legal jeopardy to the historic legacy of anti-black prejudice in the US legal system.
Trump argues he is the victim of political persecution, even though there is no evidence US President Joe Biden or White House officials influenced the filing of 91 felony charges against him.
Earlier in the week, Trump compared himself to Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top domestic rival, who died in a remote Arctic prison after being jailed by the Kremlin leader.
“I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing,” Trump told a black-tie event for black conservatives in South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary.
“And a lot of people said that’s why the black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against. It’s been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, there’s something there.”