OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Several black voters — most of them women — openly rejected Vice President Kamala Harris in lieu of supporting former President Donald Trump during an event hosted by MSBNC.
The network sent a correspondent to Philadelphia, Alex Wagner, which traditionally has been a strong Democratic hub, to get a sense of how Americans of color feel about the vice president and whether they think she’s the right candidate for the country at this time.
Most in the gathering said no.
“At the end of the day, I don’t think… he has what it takes to go up against Putin — and go up against these other presidents that are built for this,” one black woman claimed.
“She don’t understand our struggles,” another black woman said. “And for me to believe you for another four years, you’re crazy. Like, you’re crazy. You’re saying the same things [now] that you said four years ago. That’s just the bottom line.”
Wagner then told the assembled crowd that Trump has said Harris “became black when it was convenient,” politically, for her to do so, to which most agreed.
“When she was sworn into the Senate, it was as the first Indian-American,” said another black woman, to which others in the room thanked her for saying.
“Which is fine — we don’t care!” the woman continued.
Another chimed in: “We all know he’s not black. Let’s understand that. We’re all clear on that. But my point of view is…she’s already been there. She’s in office right now.
WATCH:
Philadelphia Voter: “At the end of the day, I don’t think she has what it takes to go up against Putin — and go up against these other presidents that are built for this.” pic.twitter.com/wbyuTh9ubh
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 23, 2024
Meanwhile, communications consultant Frank Luntz said this week that a campaign appearance by former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley with Trump will help the him win swing voters, claiming that the demographic “will listen to her.”
“Trump has said that Nikki Haley, once his nemesis in the primaries, could join him on the trail. She’s done a robocall for him. She’s recorded robocalls on his behalf,” observed CNN anchor Brianna Keilar before asking, “But if he — if the Trump campaign deploys her, what kind of voters could that help with? And where do you think that they’ll use her?”
“It will help with younger women because Trump is doing so well among older men. It’ll help in these swing states. And Nikki Haley brings interest, brings attention among independents, among swing voters. There aren’t many left, but what is left, they will listen to her,” answered Luntz. “And it will be a surprise because she has been so challenging of him, so negative towards him up to now. It’s a very smart strategy.”
“But in the end,” he concluded, “it’s not going to be the surrogates. It’s going to be what they [the candidates] say and how they say it in the last 48 hours that will determine these final votes. The key for Haley [Harris] is absolutely turnout, 18 to 29 women. The key for Donald Trump is absolutely union votes, young African-American men, and Latinos. It’s too close to call right now. Who does better with those groups is the one who gets elected.”
.@FrankLuntz on Nikki Haley joining Trump on the campaign trail.
“Nikki Haley brings interest, brings attention among independents, among swing-voters. There aren’t many left but what is left they will listen to her and it will be a surprise because she has been so challenging… pic.twitter.com/hWQJ8FjnEY
— Martin Walsh (@MWalshUS) October 23, 2024
Haley, a former Republican presidential candidate who sparred with Trump during the 2024 primary season, is firmly backing the 2024 GOP nominee.
