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Rappers for Trump?



Rapper Lil Wayne sang President Donald Trump's praises in a social media post on Thursday, delivering his own October surprise of sorts.

While the artist stopped short of an outright endorsement, it did not go unnoticed that his message was sent out just days ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

What are the details?

"Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus," the rapper, whose given name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., tweeted, along with a photo of him and Trump smiling together in front of a row of American flags.

"Besides what he's done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership," Lil Wayne said of the president, referring to the First Step Act of 2018 and Trump's new "Promise to Black America," adding, "He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done."

Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus besides what he's done so far with criminal reform, the plati… https://t.co/8cuYXTN1cE
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@Lil Wayne WEEZY F)1604010504.0

White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere told ABC News the meeting between Lil Wayne and the president took place at Trump National Doral Miami resort.

Conservatives on Twitter went wild over the message, which was retweeted by President Trump, himself. But Lil Wayne also took plenty of heat from anti-Trump critics. Some Trump supporters urged the rapper not to "back down because of the haters."

Lil Wayne is the latest big name rapper to give Trump a nod in the final stretch of his campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, but all have received pushback for any hint of support for the Republican.

Fans of mogul Ice Cube, whose real name is O'Shea Jackson, became furious after the Trump campaign revealed earlier this month that the rapper provided input on the president's Platinum Plan. Ice Cube, who has developed his own plan called Contract with Black America, later acknowledged that he weighed in Trump's initiative.

Today, Ice Cube revealed that he turned down a Zoom call with Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), saying he believed it "wasn't going to be productive."

Fellow rapper 50 Cent, whose given name is Curtis James Jackson III, delivered an outright endorsement of Trump last week after learning what tax rates would be under Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, but later appeared to retract his endorsement amid backlash.

Anything else?

ABC News reported:

As a business mogul, Trump was an icon in hip-hop music for more than three decades and rappers, including Lil Wayne, hailed his wealth and power in hundreds of lyrics, but once he jumped into the political ring in 2015, he was fervently rejected by the hip-hop community.

Rasmussen poll says 46% of black voters approve of President Trump



A daily tracking poll of President Donald Trump's job approval released Friday showed an eye-popping surge in approval for Trump among black voters.

According to Rasmussen Reports, Trump's approval among black likely voters surged this week from 25% on Monday to 46% by the end of the week on Friday.

Morning Reader Data Points: National Daily Black Likely Voter Job Approval For @POTUS - October 19-23, 2020Mon… https://t.co/A44NqX95DE
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen Reports)1603453552.0

Rasmussen's daily tracking poll on Friday found that 51% of likely U.S. voters approve of President Trump's job performance while 48% disapprove.

To say that the Rasmussen poll stands in contrast to other polling on President Trump's job performance is a gross understatement.

According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, Trump's job performance is an average 9.5 points underwater, 44.4% approve to 53.9% disapprove. Recent polls on Trump's approval other than Rasmussen have Trump at minus 9 points (Economist/YouGov), minus 16 points (Reuters/Ipsos), minus 14 points (Quinnipiac), and minus 12 points (Politico/Morning Consult).

It is highly unlikely that Trump's approval among black likely voters managed to increase 20 points in just five days, especially when no other polls show a similar trend.

But that is not to say Trump is definitively not performing better-than-expected among black voters.

The Trump campaign has made outreach to black voters a top priority headed into the U.S. election. President Trump often boasts that he's been the best president for black Americans in U.S. history, with the possible exemption of President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the Confederate states and fought the Civil War. But aside from his rhetorical exaggerations, he has put forward serious policies specifically designed to reach out to and meet the wants of black Americans.

Last month, Trump gave a speech introducing the "Platinum Plan," a sweeping set of policy proposals calling for a $500 billion investment in black communities to create 3 million new jobs for black Americans. His plan aims to give black Americans greater access to capital for business development, expand school choice and education opportunities, and expand criminal justice reform among other policies.

At Thursday night's final presidential debate, Trump touted his record on criminal justice reform, funding historically black colleges, and creating economic opportunity zones. He accused Democratic nominee Joe Biden of being in government for 47 years and failing to achieve anything for the black community. Trump attacked Biden for sponsoring a crime bill in the 1990s that led to an increase of incarcerations of black Americans, questioning why Biden, if he now opposes the crime bill, didn't act on it when he occupied the White House with President Obama and had a Democratic-controlled Congress.

The messaging is clearly targeted at peeling away black support for Biden.

By no means does polling data indicate that these overtures to black Americans will help Trump win the black vote on Election Day. But one study reported by FiveThirtyEight did show that compared to 2016, Trump's support among young black voters (18 to 44) improved by 10 points.

Also, a study of black swing voters found that younger black voters don't want to be taken for granted by the Democratic Party and tend to have a more negative view of Democrats, and a more positive view of Republicans, than their older peers. Young black men, while they overwhelmingly say Trump is a racist, incompetent, and disagree with his policies, also admire how he "shows strength and defies the establishment."

Ultimately, the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day, when the American people will decide if Trump deserves four more years in office. Don't bet on 46% of black voters to swing for Trump.

But don't be surprised if Trump's support surprises.

Trump proposes $500 billion plan for black Americans, promises to create 3 million jobs and designate the KKK and Antifa as 'terrorist organizations'



President Donald Trump on Friday announced a new $500 billion plan promising "opportunity," "security," "prosperity," and "fairness" for black Americans if he is reelected in November.

The president's campaign is calling this the "Platinum Plan," Fox News reported. Trump's plan calls for $500 billion of capital investment into black communities, tax cuts and opportunity zones to support black-owned businesses, continued criminal justice reform, increased support for police, making lynching a federal hate crime, and the prosecution of the Ku Klux Klan and Antifa as terrorist organizations.

"For decades, Democrat politicians like Joe Biden have taken Black voters for granted. They made you big promises before every election — and then the moment they got to Washington, they abandoned you and sold you out," the president said in remarks obtained by Fox News. "The Democrats will always take Black voters for granted until large numbers of Black Americans vote Republican."

The plan rests on four pillars of economic, education, health care, and policing reforms.

Trump is promising a federal effort to help create 500,000 new black-owned businesses and 3 million new jobs for the black community. The plan calls for regulatory reform, examining "barriers to employment including fees, occupational licensing, arrest record inaccuracy and expungement."

The plan would also expand the federal bureaucracy by making the Minority Business Development Agency permanent, appointing its leader to the assistant secretary of commerce level, and "create a sub-office of African American affairs" to partner with the private sector and develop black-owned businesses.

Trump is calling for additional reforms to make it easier for black Americans to build credit through rent, utilities, and phone bills as well.

"Full school choice" is promised, as well as increases to Pell grants, the development of more apprenticeship and job-training programs, and increased childcare tax credits for "access to quality pre-school."

In terms of health care reform, the plan pledges to increase price transparency, leverage public-private partnerships to "develop healthcare facilities in low-income areas," and "defend religious freedom exemptions to respect religious believers and always protect life."

The Platinum Plan would also make Juneteenth a national holiday.

In his remarks announcing the plan, Trump committed to working on a "Second Step Act" follow-up to the "First Step Act" criminal justice reform legislation signed into law in his first term. Trump is calling for increased use of "drug rehabilitation vs. drug incarceration," a new National Clemency Program focusing on "wrongful prosecution and rehabilitation," police reform including "diversity training," and programs to help find jobs for rehabilitated Americans with criminal records.

Trump also attacked his Democratic rival, Vice President Joe Biden, for "offering black Americans nothing but the same, tired, empty slogans."

"I stand here to offer you solutions," Trump said, adding "no one in Washington politics today has done more to hurt Black Americans than Joe Biden."

Trump's speech also defended the police and the unborn.

"Instead of fighting for public safety for these communities, the Democrats are attacking our police and empowering far-left rioters, looters, and anarchists," Trump said. "In the Republican Party, we believe in protecting ALL black lives — including the unborn."

platinum-plan-two-sider-v5.pdf by Raheem Kassam