On the first night of the Republican National Convention — a night supposedly centered around the economic message of “Make America Wealthy Again” — Black Republicans led the conversation. It wasn’t by accident.
Republicans made a conscious decision that, as the GOP made its economic appeal on Monday, Black Republicans were its best messengers.
North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson and Reps. John James, Byron Donalds and Wesley Hunt — all Black men — spoke on the first night of the RNC. And their speeches marked a greater focus from the Trump campaign to reach out to Black voters, particularly Black men.
“I heard a little bit earlier today, if you don’t vote for Donald Trump, you ain’t Black,” James said to roars of laughter and applause.
“But see, here’s the thing: By the grace of God and the proven leadership of Donald Trump, for every American, regardless of race, color and creed, we can once again have a land where a child’s income isn’t determined by their zip code,” James said. “We can once again have a land where hard work truly does get you ahead. We can once again have a land where you can go from poverty to prosperity in a single generation.”
The Republican messengers emphasized a contrast between the former president and President Joe Biden: that the economy was prosperous under Trump and in shambles under Biden. The economic reality is a bit more complicated — and drastically overstated.
While the first years of Biden’s presidency were marked by high inflation and an economy plagued by the pandemic, it’s a different forecast today. Unemployment is currently at 4.1%, 15 million new jobs have been created under Biden and the Dow Jones is at an all-time high.
Even if you disregard the pandemic, which caused unemployment to spike to 14.8% in April 2020, Biden created more jobs than Trump — Trump created 7 million jobs until the pandemic when the economy lost almost 20 million jobs — and Trump added twice as much to the national debt as Biden.
Even the common GOP talking point about out-of-control inflation lacks context. Inflation was far worse after the COVID-19 pandemic in developed European countries than in the United States, though a big part of the U.S. controlling inflation was restrained energy costs because of greater oil production.
But you couldn’t tell that to Republicans Monday night. They consistently slammed Biden Monday night for a poor economy — and it was Black Republicans consistently making the case.
A New York Times/Siena poll earlier this year showed that, even though 45% of Black voters at least somewhat approved of Biden’s handling of the economy, 81% called current economic conditions “only fair” or “poor.” That’s an incredible opportunity for Trump and Republicans.
Polling has also shown that strengthening the economy is a high priority for Black voters, while internal Biden campaign polling reported by NOTUS shows the president shedding nonwhite voters in Georgia.
But the RNC’s focus on Black messengers to deliver the party’s economic message was particularly notable Monday night, especially when you note that James and Hunt may have been more at home speaking about national defense. (Both men are veterans.)
And yet, both were chosen to speak on a night about the economy.
The speeches were the latest push from the Trump campaign to put Black lawmakers front and center in their outreach to voters.
Donalds and Hunt stumped for the campaign to Black men in Philadelphia at an event billed as “Congress, Cognac and Cigars” last month, when they made the pitch that, as Donalds said, “the politics of the Black community starting to shift back towards being conservative-minded.”
(Donalds came under scrutiny at the same event for praising Jim Crow-era policies.)
Robinson, the typically fiery lieutenant governor of North Carolina, took an unusually calmer approach Monday night. Like Hunt, James and Donalds, Robinson touched on his personal story of economic hardship to make the pitch for Trump.
“Under Joe Biden, grocery prices have skyrocketed and gas has nearly doubled. In North Carolina, factories just like the one I worked at are closing, leaving families feeling hopeless. But there is hope, and I’m proof,” Robinson said.
Model, rapper and television personality Amber Rose, a biracial woman, spoke later in the night, and she also highlighted the economy.
“If you’re watching this tonight, know our country is in trouble. Just like me, when you go to the store, buy food for your family, you’re shocked. When you fill up your gas tank, you’re pissed.
I know I am,” she said. “Inflation is out of control. And you know in your heart it was not like this under Donald Trump.”
The GOP’s push on economic messaging — particularly to minority voters — is part of a broader plan to make inroads with communities that have traditionally supported Democrats. With Biden struggling on a number of fronts, making up ground with minority voters could be critical in swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
P. Rae Easley, an alternate delegate from Illinois and a Black woman, said she appreciated the focus on Black speakers, and that to her, it “dispels the notion that MAGA is racist.”
“I think the goal of tonight was to forge that path so that people can know that this is not a white man’s movement. This is an American movement,” she said. “We’re here, and we’re accepted.”
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Katherine Swartz and Nuha Dolby are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.