President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are calling out Donald Trump for his mistreatment of Black America.
A new television and radio ad campaign takes jabs at the politician over his unsubstantiated claims of accomplishments for the Black community and his detrimental comments on racial issues.
The ads slam Trump for standing with white nationalists after the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. They criticize him for questioning President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship and for calling for the execution of the Central Park Five after they were wrongly accused of raping a 28-year-old white woman.
In 1989, five Black and brown teenagers — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — from the Harlem area of New York City, were wrongly convicted of brutally beating and raping a white woman in Central Park.
The case sparked public outrage and highlighted the media’s race, class and gender biases amid the massive coverage of the crime at the time. The teens served five to 13 years in prison until they were exonerated due to DNA evidence in 2002.
The ads “underline how a second term would be worse for Black Americans as Trump promises to enact revenge on his enemies and rule as a dictator and calls the January 6 terrorists ’heroes and patriots,” the Biden-Harris campaign told HuffPost in a news release.
Salaam, who is now a New York city council member, pleaded with Black and brown communities to vote against Trump in the 2024 election, noting that the businessman’s actions “reveal a deep-seated disdain for Black and Latino lives.”
“Today, we point our fingers back at Mr. Trump and stand firmly against him and his campaign for office. Throughout my wrongful conviction, the one thing I would not allow to be taken away from me was my voice. I urge black and brown communities across the country: do not sit this election out,” he said in a statement shared with HuffPost.
Watch the ads below.
Related…
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
