Trump's approval rating with Black voters soars by 60% during RNC: poll
HarrisX-Hill survey finds Black support increases from 15% to 24%
From left, Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stand on the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) more >
By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Monday, August 31, 2020
President Trump's approval rating among Black voters jumped by 60% during the Republican National Convention even as Democrats and progressives sought to brand the Republican president as racist.
A HarrisX-Hill poll released Friday showed Mr. Trump's net approval with Black voters from Aug. 22-25, which included the first two days of the RNC, rose to 24%, up from 15% in the pollster's Aug. 8-11 survey.
The poll also found his approval rating among Hispanic voters during the same period increased slightly from 30% to 32%, while his support among White voters decreased by the same margin, ticking down from 54% to 52%.
The president's overall approval rating remained underwater at 44%, but the surge of support from Black voters may reflect Mr. Trump's outreach to minority communities as well as the convention's showcasing of conservative Black lawmakers and luminaries.
Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, was featured prominently Monday, the first night of the RNC, while Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron gave a speech Tuesday challenging some of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden's pronouncements on race.
"Mr. Vice President, look at me," the Republican Cameron said. "I am Black. We are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own. And you can't tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin."
Other Black speakers included Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson; former NFL players Jack Brewer, Burgess Owens and Herschel Walker; Democratic Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, and Kim Klacik, a Republican congressional candidate to fill the seat formerly held by the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, Maryland Democrat.
Some of them spoke after the poll concluded on Tuesday.
MSNBC host Joy Reid tweeted during the convention that Republicans had "trotted out" Black speakers "to make white Americans feel good about white nationalism."
Mr. Trump has sought to increase his minority outreach after winning 8% of the Black vote and 29% of the Hispanic vote in 2016.
The HarrisX-Hill online weighted poll of 2,861 voters had a sampling margin of error of 1.83%.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.