Barack Obama is suggesting that Donald Trump‘s popularity amongst Black male voters in the 2020 US election could be down to “the bling, the women, the money” in rap music.
In an interview with The Atlantic, the former president discussed about how comparisons can be made between the way in which Trump values success and the extravagant displays of wealth often portrayed in music videos the genre.
Obama said: “It’s interesting: people are writing about the fact that Trump increased his support among Black men [in the election], and the occasional rapper who supported Trump. I have to remind myself that if you listen to rap music, it’s all about the bling, the women, the money. A lot of rap videos are using the same measures of what it means to be successful as Donald Trump is. Everything is gold-plated. That insinuates itself and seeps into the culture.”
Rappers like including Lil Wayne and Lil Pump both endorsed President Trump in the days leading up to the election, earlier this month.
An NBC poll suggests that Joe Biden received 80% of the support of Black men, whereas Hillary Clinton got 82% of their vote in 2016. In contrast, Obama secured 95% and 87% respectively in 2008 and 2012.
“America has always had a caste system — rich and poor, not just racially but economically,” added Obama. “But it wasn’t in your face most of the time when I was growing up.
“Then you start seeing Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, that sense that either you’ve got it or you’re a loser. And Donald Trump epitomises that cultural movement that is deeply ingrained now in American culture.”
President Trump is still refusing to concede defeat to President-elect Joe Biden after his triumph in the election. However, he did half-heartedly concede, but only to blame results on a fixed election.
When speaking about Trump’s refusal to concede, Obama notes how “gracious” G.W. Bush’s administration were.
“For all the differences between myself and George W. Bush, he and his administration could not have been more gracious and intentional about ensuring a smooth handoff.”
“One of the really distressing things about the current situation is the amount of time that is being lost because of Donald Trump’s petulance and the unwillingness of other Republicans to call him on it.”
