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MSNBC’s Black Barbershop Voter Segment Spells Trouble For Biden: ‘With Trump We Had Money’

February 15, 2024

During a recent focus group discussion in a black barbershop, MSNBC discovered that many African-American voters are considering supporting former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

The group spoke with MSNBC correspondent Trymaine Lee and explained why a vote for Trump would be appealing to black voters.

Lee had to be stunned to learn that either the men in the group or a lot of their close friends were going to avoid voting for President Biden.

The participants cited Trump’s reputation as a “money man” and their own financial situations as reasons for their potential support. It is a sentiment that challenges the common narrative that Trump’s policies primarily benefit the wealthy and not working-class Americans.

MSNBC: "There are some people in your orbit either voting for Donald Trump or considering it?"

Voter: "For sure. A lot of my friends are… they're like well, we're broke with Biden, we weren't with Trump… with Trump, we had money." pic.twitter.com/Q5IuAZ1nN7

Black Voters Considering Trump – Here’s Why

Participants in the black barbershop focus group which took place in Charleston, South Carolina mentioned that under President Biden, they feel broke, while under Trump, they had money.

It is a feeling shared by many Americans.

“I just think that Donald Trump, in spite of all the craziness he may have in his head, reading some of the things that he talks about what business I can kind of agree with,” one of the voters told MSNBC. “Because I’m trying to grow my business.”

“As far as Biden, I haven’t seen Biden really care about business like that.”

Another voter at the black barbershop focus group said that while he can’t bring himself to vote for Donald Trump personally, he knows a lot of people who can.

“There are some people in your orbit either voting for Donald Trump or considering it?” an exasperated Lee asks.

“For sure, ” one man replied. “A lot of my friends are obviously my age, so we’re a little younger. We’ve only voted once, you know, for president, and Trump is kinda all we know.”

“They’re like, ‘Well, we’re broke with Biden. We weren’t with Trump.’ And that’s kind of the only thing that I’m hearing over, and over again… ‘With Trump, we had money,'” he explains. “Well, okay, I hear you guys. But personally, morally I couldn’t see myself.”

Polls Show Support Could Be There

A New York Times poll from November shows support for Trump from black voters is approaching unheard-of heights.

“Black voters — long a bulwark for Democrats and for Mr. Biden — are now registering 22 percent support in these states for Mr. Trump, a level unseen in presidential politics for a Republican in modern times,” the Times worried.

Experts speaking exclusively to The Political Insider, however, were torn on the possibility that minority voters would gravitate to Trump.

“I think it’s too early to tell if this is a real realignment or a mirage. We saw similar claims in 2020, and there was no realignment among black voters,” Cornell University Professor William Jacobson surmised.

Mark Mitchell, head pollster for Rasmussen Reports, sees a slightly more positive outlook for Trump than Professor Jacobson.

“Our latest 2024 matchup has Biden winning black voters by only 22 points, and Trump wins with Hispanic voters by 23 points,” he said. “Those are massive advantages for Trump over previous elections, and if they hold, they make Trump unbeatable.”

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