Donald Trump Sees His Appearance Today at Black Church as a Scripted Campaign Ad

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Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:08 pm

Democratic Party Strategist Julie Roginsky came up against a fact-defying conservative wall on Fox News’ Outnumbered when she tried to explain a simple fact to white male Tucker Carlson, that Donald Trump will not be speaking to a black audience when he meets with Bishop Wayne Jackson of Great Faith Ministries International today.

He will be speaking to a single man in a closed room from which media will be barred, the results of which will then be edited and released.

This, even though Trump has no problem “going to a town in Wisconsin that is vastly white and discussing the plight of the black community in front of a huge white audience.”

Trump’s Campaign said the candidate would speak to the crowd for 5-10 minutes but Bishop Jackson said, no, that’s not allowed:

“When we have guests, whether they are a celebrity, an actress, an actor, or whether it’s just somebody who is well known, we do allow them to say, ‘I’m here today.’ A greeting. Thank you very much and sit down. There is not going to be a 10 minute speech from nobody. No.”

So even if Trump wanted it to, his appearance at a black church would not mean he is speaking to a black audience (and yes, Trump has to be hoping this works better than his visit to Mexico).

It is doubtful he wants to speak to a black audience. He has had plenty of opportunity to include blacks, but he prefers to talk about them, rather than to them.

Watch the discussion courtesy of Media Matters for America:

JULIE ROGINSKY (CO-HOST): Let’s be clear. He is not speaking to a black audience. He is going to a back room with a pastor. He has gotten the questions pre-submitted to him —

[CROSSTALK]

ROGINSKY: Listen, let me finish my point. Let me finish my point. He has designed the answer. He has no problem going to a town in Wisconsin that is vastly white and discussing the plight of the black community in front of a huge white audience but he has no ability to do that in front of a black audience, to look them in the face and repeat those same points.

TUCKER CARLSON: What is wrong with speaking to white audience?

ROGINSKY: Nothing is wrong speaking to a white audience, but —

CARLSON: Then why did you note it twice?

ROGINSKY: I noted it twice because he was talking to white audience about the issues that plagued the black community.

CARLSON: What’s wrong with that?

ROGINSKY: Why doesn’t he do that to the black community?

CARLSON: Well I guess he’s going to do it.

ROGINSKY: No he’s not, actually, Tucker. He’s actually not —

[CROSSTALK]

CARLSON: But everyone has television, you can see what he says by turning it on.

ROGINSKY: No, it is not television. I’m sorry, it’s behind closed doors, no press allowed.

DAGEN MCDOWELL (CO-HOST): No, it’s being broadcast after the fact.

ROGINSKY: After the fact, after it’s been edited. They have editing rights.

CARLSON: Whatever, we know what Trump thinks, he’s going to tell you on Twitter. I mean, he’s not hiding what he thinks.

ROGINSKY: No, excuse me, excuse me, no. It’s a huge difference. He has editing power over this tape. You know what this is, this is a campaign commercial.

MCDOWELL: There are questions and then he will also make remarks after the fact and it will be seen.

According to Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump speaking to a African-American pastor without any press present, and with full editorial rights to edit the conversation as he sees fit, is the same as speaking to a black audience with media present and cameras rolling.

Worse yet, there is an actual script for the interview, a draft of which The New York Times possesses. It makes entertaining reading. And it demonstrates that again, Trump’s real audience is not black, but white.

As Jamelle Bouie wrote at Slate, “Trump’s goal is to look tolerant, to look patient and gracious while he takes praise from a black religious leader and gives boilerplate about ‘equal opportunity.’”

Julie Roginsky has correctly identified Trump’s reason for appearing at a black church – it’s a campaign spot designed to offset his repeated non-appearance in front of black audiences, an opportunity through a heavily scripted interview and thoroughly edited video, to portray Trump as something he is not, as a guy who actually cares about African-Americans.

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Hrafnkell Haraldsson

Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen's Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.

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