Three black voters who cast ballots for President Donald Trump in November told CNN’s Van Jones in a Thursday segment that they do not regret their votes.
Trump received 13% of the black vote in 2024, including 21% of men and 7% of women, according to a CNN exit poll. The voters featured on “Anderson Cooper 360″— one man and two women, all of whom previously voted against Trump — explained to Jones why they supported the president and said they would not change their votes if given the opportunity. (RELATED: ‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: Crucial Voter Groups Fleeing Democrats, Says Stunned Fmr Clinton Pollster)
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“I mean, part of it is he’s an asshole,” a voter named Seth Dawkins, whose first ever vote was for former President Joe Biden, told Jones. “I like — I like authenticity.”
A voter named Detra German, who previously backed former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, told Jones that commentary and a book by Candace Owens changed her view of Trump.
“It just opened my eyes to maybe he’s not this person that I have been led to believe that he was,” she said.
Kyasia Kraft, who opposed Trump in 2016, told Jones she was impressed with first term.
“I saw how things were going during his first term, and I was pleasantly surprised, and I was pleased with what was happening,” she said. “I saw the economy getting better. I saw country relations in certain countries getting better.”
Dawkins added that he appreciates Trump’s handling of the border.
“For me, I like the border. I just don’t like the idea of someone coming here illegally and getting benefits that can serve my community,” he told Jones. “So that’s the reason why I support him on that border policy.”
Jones attempted to challenge the voters by raising issues related to Trump and race, but the voters were unmoved.
“Donald Trump’s team went in, they took down Harriet Tubman’s pictures for a quick minute,” Jones said. “They’re trying to, like, knock out the black museums. What does that have to do with the price of eggs and how does that impact you?”
“In some ways, it’s a slap in the face. In other ways, I don’t care,” Dawkins said. “I care more about how I’m going to take care of my children.”
Kraft also asserted she does not believe ordinary Americans were passionate about these actions.
“Under the Trump and Biden administration, they came to certain agreements with police departments to be less brutal toward the black community,” Jones said. “Trump has now ended all that. How does that help the black community?”
“I have a lot of issues with police reform and just with how police officers are treated as a whole. Her husband is currently going through the process to become a police officer,” Kraft replied. “The amount of hatred that cops get, even the best ones, I think, has become a huge problem. Because it has been, especially around election times, when it definitely comes out of, like, ‘Oh no, the cops are bad. The cops hate you because you’re black.’ They’re immediately deemed as evil.”
Jones also asked the voters about Trump’s comments regarding potentially campaigning for a third term in office.
German said she opposed the idea, saying Trump should leave office after serving out his second term. Kraft, however, said she did not take Trump’s remarks on the topic seriously, saying it’s “a prime example of him trolling people.”
All three voters then told Jones they would back Trump again if given the chance, with Kraft especially enthusiastic.
“1,000%,” she said. “Absolutely, yes.”
Most black male swing-state Trump voters participating in a focus group also told NBC News in March that they stand by their choice to back the president in November.
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