Small crowd at Baltimore Stop on Trump’s black voters’ route

There were probably more heckling and boos directed at the bus with the words “I’m Not With Her” and “Black Voters for Trump” on it than actual supporters of the bus and its message at the ultimate stop of the Black Voters for Trump tour in Baltimore on September 12.

According to , Less than 12 people took part within the last stop of the week-long tripwhich was created by the Black Conservative Foundation to achieve support amongst blacks for the Republican Party and its candidate, Donald J. Trump.

According to Black Conservative Foundation President Diante Johnson, “Nobody knows how bad the Democratic Party was, and then the people in Baltimore, and then the people in Chicago, and then the people in these liberal-run areas.”

Maryland voters, nevertheless, appear to have a unique take on Trump and the Republican Party, as Trump decisively lost in Maryland in each the 2016 and 2020 election cycles. As a result, the party faces a difficult task, especially in races where the GOP nominee is either explicitly or by association related to Trump.

In Maryland, former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Christopher Anderson (candidate for Baltimore’s seventh Ward City Council), and Kimberly Klacick (candidate for Baltimore’s 2nd Ward City Council and special guest on the Baltimore tour) face formidable Democratic opposition.

Trump’s criticism of majority-Black cities has often turned venomous, some say bordering on racism. In 2019, he described former Rep. Elijah Cummings’ district—which incorporates much of Baltimore, a majority-Black city—as a “disgusting, rat- and rodent-infested mess.” And at a gala hosted by the Black Conservative Foundation in early 2024, Trump suggested that black people might discover with him due to his multiple indictments and mugshots.

However, members of the Black Conservative Foundation defended Trump, saying that they believed his achievements were more essential than his racism.

Brenda Tchaim, a former Republican within the Maryland House of Delegates and leader of the inspiration’s Maryland chapter, told the outlet: “As a black woman, I don’t see racism… I look at his policies. When (Trump) was a Democrat, they loved him… Jesse Jackson loved him, Oprah Winfrey loved him, all these elite black people loved him, but now that he’s a Republican, all of a sudden he’s a racist.”

Anderson, who’s a member of the inspiration, said that supports Trump due to his “Platinum Plan.”

“We know what he’s going to do for us,” Anderson said. “When he was in office, his administration had a platinum plan just for blacks.”

However, Northwood Plaza residents have expressed their dissatisfaction with the presence of the bus of their area.

Leslie Harvey, a neighborhood resident, said she didn’t think sending a pro-Trump bus to the realm would make much sense.

“Why would you send Trump people here to our neighborhood? It doesn’t make sense for them to send someone and think that someone is going to follow you down that road,” Harvey said.

Another resident, Tiana Smith, told the outlet she felt the group’s appearance on the bus tour was disrespectful.

“I am incredibly shocked and angry and horrified and it is rude that this is here, whatever it is,” Smith said. “It is a slap in the face. He has made it clear that he is not for the black community or anyone else.”