WASHINGTON (AP) — The scenes of Donald Trump being warmly greeted by a black audience at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta on Wednesday drew fire from conservative political media at a moment when Republicans hope to make inroads into the most committed Democratic voting bloc.
Those widely shared moments were days in the making, an alliance between the Trump campaign, local activists and students from some of the nation’s most iconic historically black colleges.
Trump and his allies have argued that he can gain more black support thanks to his messages on the economy and immigration, an idea President Joe Biden‘s campaign. Some of his efforts to reach African Americans have played on racial stereotypes — by advertising the brand’s $399 sneakers or suggesting that black people would empathize with his dozens of crime allegations — and has offended old critics and some potential allies.
But the campaign took into account Wednesday’s photo opportunity at Chick-fil-A, a stop he made on his way to a fundraiser in Atlanta, a victory that spawned viral videos shared by his allies and widely discussed by both – as opponents.
“People find it so hard to believe that there are young black people who would have loved the opportunity to meet Trump,” said Michaelah Montgomery, a conservative activist and founder of Conserve the Culture, which recruits and trains college students and young alumni in Atlanta . historically black colleges and universities.
Montgomery, a former Georgia Republican Party staffer who regularly coordinates events for HBCU students open to conservative ideas to meet politicians and activists, said she was informed earlier this week that Trump was visiting the district during his trip Vine City in Atlanta to attend a high-dollar fundraiser in the city. She updated a private group chat of students that she uses to coordinate events and job postings about the president’s visit. She received immediate interest from a dozen students to appear alongside him.
“Everyone got together around 9:30 in the morning and walked over to Chick-fil-A and then we sat there waiting for the president to show up,” said Montgomery, who can be seen greeting the former president in multiple ways hugs. viral videos. “It’s really disheartening to see the media making it look like we just walked into a Chick-fil-A and he bought us milkshakes.”
Morehouse and Spelman Colleges are some of the most important historically black colleges in the country, with long legacies of influential black alumni in politics, business, religion and medicine. Martin Luther King Jr. and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, pastor of King’s former church, are both Morehouse alumni. Stacey Abrams, the influential Georgia Democrat, attended Spelman. Alongside neighboring Clark Atlanta University and Morris Brown College, the academic collective on Atlanta’s West Side has served as a bastion of African-American politics and culture since before the civil rights movement.
Trump’s overture to students at the iconic black institutions underscored both his eagerness to showcase any potential inroads on black voters and the campaign’s strategy of working with local conservative groups to rally crowds in communities outside the Republican base, a common political tactic with a slight twist.
“The location was beautifully chosen and I think it had an incredible impact,” said Bill White, a businessman and longtime friend of the former president who hosted the expensive luncheon for the Trump campaign in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood the same day. “I thought the day was a resounding success for him and for the people of Georgia who loved him and wanted to come out and show their support.”
White added that Donald Trump “is very relatable to everyone. The people of Atlanta had a chance to see that and show their love back” and he expects Trump to make big strides with black voters in Atlanta and across the country because of events like his visit on Wednesday.
In March, 55 percent of Black Americans said they approved of Biden doing his job as president, while 45 percent disapproved, according to a poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Research. But a February poll showed Trump’s approval rating among black Americans was only 25 percent.
The visit was not greeted with much fanfare by some on campus or in the local community. Montgomery decried the criticism some students who appeared alongside Trump in the viral videos have received both on campus and online.
“They claim that the students have ridiculed their institutions and say they have no respect for their ancestors. It’s really bad,” Montgomery said.
