Poll Shows Black Voters Not Buying Omarosa's N-Word Tale
Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman’s recent efforts to insinuate that a tape may exist of President Donald Trump saying the n-word does not appear to be hurting his support among African Americans, which has been on an upward trend for months.
Manigault Newman released a audio recording this week of Trump campaign advisers discussing in October 2016 how they would respond if the rumored tape were released, CBS News reported.
Trump denied such a tape exists tweeting on Monday, “[Mark Burnett] called to say that there are NO TAPES of the Apprentice where I used such a terrible and disgusting word as attributed by Wacky and Deranged Omarosa.”
.@MarkBurnettTV called to say that there are NO TAPES of the Apprentice where I used such a terrible and disgusting word as attributed by Wacky and Deranged Omarosa. I don’t have that word in my vocabulary, and never have. She made it up. Look at her MANY recent quotes saying….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2018
He added, “I don’t have that word in my vocabulary, and never have. She made it up. Look at her MANY recent quotes saying such wonderful and powerful things about me – a true Champion of Civil Rights – until she got fired.”
“Omarosa had Zero credibility with the Media (they didn’t want interviews) when she worked in the White House. Now that she says bad about me, they will talk to her. Fake News!” wrote the president.
Trump’s support among African Americans does not appear to have been hurt by the controversy.
Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll found Trump with a 31 percent approval rating on Tuesday among likely black voters, which increased to 36 percent on Wednesday.
His support is up nearly 20 percent from this same time period last year.
Today’s @realDonaldTrump approval ratings among black voters: 36%
This day last year: 19% https://t.co/mazBCWoIMy @POTUS @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/uIqYxoBn6w
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) August 15, 2018
Rasmussen’s determination of an upward trend in Trump’s African-American support is consistent with other survey findings.
An NAACP poll released earlier this month showed the president’s approval rating at 21 percent among blacks. The NAACP downplayed that number’s importance, but it was remarkable all the same.
In early May, according to KUSI in San Diego, a Reuters poll showed Trump’s backing among black men leapt to 22 percent from 11 percent after rapper Kanye West said he was on the Trump train.
According to exit polling conducted by NBC News, Trump received just 8 percent of the African American vote in the 2016, so there is definitely a lot of room for improvement.
The Associated Press’ Jill Colvin asked White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Tuesday, “What do you say to critics who see his attacks on Omarosa as part of a pattern of insulting prominent African Americans, people he’s taken — criticized recently — Don Lemon, Maxine Waters. He’s claimed that football players protesting racial injustice don’t know what they’re protesting.”
Sarah Sanders on Omarosa: "This has absolutely nothing to do with race and everything to do with the president calling out someone's lack of integrity." pic.twitter.com/75KKbWBJ7J
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 14, 2018
“Look, the President — this has absolutely nothing to do with race, and everything to do with the President calling out someone’s lack of integrity,” Sanders answered.
“The idea that you would only point a few of the things that the President has said negative about people that are minorities — the fact is, the President is an equal opportunity person that calls things like he sees it. He always fights fire with fire. And he certainly doesn’t hold back on doing that across the board.”
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