Donald Trump faced backlash on Twitter and online after claiming that immigrants are “taking black jobs” during last night’s debate. The comment quickly became the most viral moment of the debate, prompting a spike in Google searches for “jobs for blacks” and “who said jobs for blacks.”
Black elected officials, leaders and media joined in to question Trump’s racist speech, asking what exactly he meant by a “black job.”
We have a question for former President Trump: What is a “black job”? #DebateCNNDebate pic.twitter.com/uYrTYxFaYV
— The Voice of Atlanta (@theatlantavoice) June 28, 2024
Undeterred, Trump repeated his unhinged conspiracy theory at a rally in Virginia today, further igniting criticism and outrage over his divisive and baseless claims.
“Millions of people coming to our country, they are taking away their jobs, they are taking away black jobs, people who had their jobs for a long time, and Hispanic jobs, people who have had them for a long time, they are losing their jobs.”
Trump: “They are taking jobs away from black people” pic.twitter.com/TQth9oRc63
— Biden-Harris Headquarters (@BidenHQ) June 28, 2024
In response, Biden-Harris 2024 communications director Michael Tyler released the following statement:
“In Trump’s mind, there are certain jobs for black people and certain jobs for everyone else. That’s why he launched his political career by questioning the legitimacy of the first black president of the United States. In Trump’s mind, there was no way a black man could get the most powerful job in the world.
“Black voters dragged Trump all night for his racist rhetoric. They know Trump has done nothing for Black communities, so he tries to pit communities of color against each other as a distraction. We are not distracted. We clearly see Trump’s racism and that is why Black voters will reject him this November.”