Trump Says Criminal Indictments Are The Reason 'Black People Like Me'

COLUMBIA, S.C. Donald Trump said on the eve of South Carolinas GOP presidential primary that his criminal indictments he faces 91 charges across multiple cases are boosting his appeal with Black voters.

Addressing the Black Conservative Federations Honors Gala on Friday evening, the former president brushed off the federal and state charges he faces over his efforts to overturn an election he lost and his handling of classified information, dismissing them yet again as politically motivated.

I got indicted for nothing for something that is nothing, Trump said to applause .

And a lot of people said that thats why the Black people like me, because theyve been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against. Its been pretty amazing. Possibly maybe theres something there, he added.

Trump who has a long history of racism, pushed a racist conspiracy theory against the nations first Black president, and sought to throw out millions of votes in predominantly Black areas amid the 2020 presidential election went on to praise the efforts of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

We share the dream of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was great, Trump told the audience of Black conservatives in Columbia.

Every time the radical-left Democrats , Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great, great badge of honor. Because Im being indicted for you, the American people. Im being indicted for you, the Black population. Im being indicted for a lot of different groups by sick people.

Democrats slammed Trump over his comments, saying that he peddled racist tropes that mocked Black voters.

This might come as news to Trump, but pushing tired tropes, wannabe Jordans, and mugshot t-shirts isnt going to win over Black voters who suffered through record high unemployment and skyrocketing uninsured rates under his leadership, Democratic National Committee spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement, referring to products  promoted by Trump.

Trump is showing Black voters exactly what he thinks of them and his ideas to win them over are as corny and racist as he is.

Earlier in the day, Trump held a raucous rally in nearby Rock Hill that was attended by thousands of predominantly white supporters. The 2024 presidential candidates pitch at that event was similar, though he invoked a different historical figure when speaking about his many criminal indictments.

Ive been indicted more than Alphonse Capone, Trump boasted at the rally, referring to the notorious Chicago gangster of the Prohibition era. If I fly over a blue state, the next day I get a federal grand jury.

He added: They indicted me on bullshit. Its all bullshit.

The Rock Hill event was attended by South Carolinas governor as well as several members of the states congressional delegation, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is the lone Black Republican in the Senate. Trump heaped praise on Scott, who dropped out of the 2024 GOP race last year and endorsed him.

Scott, Trump said, is a better representative for me than he is for himself, prompting a standing ovation for the senator, who is in the mix as a possible Trump vice presidential nominee.

Attendees of the event in Rock Hill said that they werent bothered by the former presidents criminal indictments, echoing his remarks about being politically persecuted.

I dont see how the countrys that stupid that theyre going to let this continue on when you have a victimless crime. Come on. How stupid is that? said Mike Kane, a 66-year-old retiree from the South Carolina city. The public is going to eventually come on, were not that stupid. They spin everything the opposite in the press.

Is he a perfect guy? Of course not, added Doug Smith, a 53-year-old postal worker from Rock Hill. Has he done something wrong? I dont know. Im not a legal scholar. But I just feel like he cares about the average person.