Le’Veon Bell has jumped on board the train of former athletes and celebrities who’ve been gaining popularity by supporting Donald Trump – and critics say he went too far.

On Saturday, Bell, a former Pittsburg Steeler NFL player, posted your photo on X with the caption “Trump or The Tr*mp?”, wearing a T-shirt with the identical slogans above a viral photo of Trump clenching his fist after an attempt on his life, next to a photograph giving Vice President Kamala Harris an unflattering face.

Bell, who’s black, was immediately met with harsh reactions within the comments, and one particularly stood out.

“Why can’t you support your candidate without disrespecting a black woman running against him?” he tweeted Mari Copeny, a 16-year-old activist also often known as Little Miss Flint.

It was a stark contrast – a grown man casually attacking essentially the most powerful black woman in American politics – and a young black girl calling out the sexism at the center of his attack on Harris.

Le’Veon Bell, known for having giant Bible verses tattooed on his body, also excitedly tweeted a video of himself hanging out with Donald Trump ahead of a campaign rally in Pittsburgh together with former NFL player Antonio Brown.

“I was just on stage with @realDonaldTrump!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Bell wrote on Twitter.

Both Bell and Brown spoke from the rostrum at Saturday’s rally within the swing state of Pennsylvania, giving no explanation for their endorsements beyond minor praise.

“Let’s go, Trump! You already know, vote for Trump. Let’s go!” Bell said.

“Tampon Tim Walz, he’s not a real football coach,” Brown said when it was his turn. “He would never be able to protect me.”

The look reflects a dynamic that became common during Trump’s campaign for president. Because there’s an absence of racial diversity within the Republican Party, any black one that supports Trump is noticeable, whether or not they are a D-list celebrity or a struggling former athlete. This is free promoting for someone trying to improve their profile or relevance. And it looks as if in Trump’s world, any black person can handle it, irrespective of how problematic or stereotypical they’re.

The case was previously reported by The New York Post. history in 2021 about how Le’Veon Bell was thrown into the air by an ex-girlfriend who called herself his sixth mom. Trump has also been accused of rape and sexual assault by not less than 26 women. None of this prevented Bell from attacking Harris – who’s happily married – with sexist profanities.

However, the image of a semi-profile black man denigrating a black woman in support of Trump only serves to support the criticism expressed by former President Barack Obama during a campaign stop featuring black men, which caused some response and hand-wringing in Democratic circles over the potential for offending black male voters. As Obama told the group:

“Part of it, I think, well, you just don’t feel comfortable with the idea of ​​a woman being president, and you come up with other alternatives and other reasons.”

A majority of Black men surveyed actually support voting for Vice President Harris; nevertheless, for those that are undecided, Bell’s case provides an excellent case study to explore just one in every of the more uncomfortable reasons they could view Harris through a tainted lens.

More history

Vice President Kamala Harris gained immense popularity after a transient but sharp exchange with hecklers during her campaign rally in La Cross, Wisconsin, on Thursday evening.

During the event, the Democratic presidential candidate was interrupted to discuss reproductive rights and the role that former President Donald Trump, her Republican opponent within the 2024 presidential race, played in overturning federal abortion rights in dozens of states across the country.

“Donald Trump hand-picked three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention of rolling back Roe v. Wade protections — and they did as he intended,” Harris said.

Then a heckler appeared and shouted, “Lies!” shortly thereafter, to which Harris replied, “Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally.”

After thunderous applause from Harris’ supporters drowned out the screams, Harris added: “No, I think you were going to go to the smaller one down the street… come on!”

Vice President Harris to MAGA hecklers: “Oh, you guys are at the flawed rally. I feel you wanted to go to the smaller one down the road.

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/mRjL561vbp

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 17, 2024

The interaction with the hecklers didn’t last long; nevertheless, the exchange retained its effectiveness on social media because it was shared countless times.

“This is what ‘BOSS’ looks like in MTF mode!!! …Pop f**k.” he said rapper turned influential online political voice Plies on X, formerly often known as Twitter.

Many people online praised the Democratic presidential candidate for the best way she handled the situation, especially the best way she trolled unexpected haters. Harris eventually responded again, saying, “…in America, one in three women lives in a state where Trump bans abortion.” She added: “Many of these prohibitions have no exceptions, even in cases of rape or incest.”

Abortion has been a sticky issue for Republicans since SCOTUS repealed abortion rights in June 2022. In every election that has had abortion access on the ballot over the past few election cycles, voters in ideologically diverse states have chosen to guarantee reproductive rights. The cause was such a losing cause that Trump and a few Republicans sought to soften their stance on abortion.

While Trump bragged concerning the nomination of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett and their subsequent roles in overturning Roe, the previous president went out of his way to say he wouldn’t support a nationwide abortion ban – something some support Republicans and bowing to pressure conservative anti-abortion leaders.

Democrats are hoping that turnout in favor of Harris and other Democrats will fall on the ballot, on condition that states akin to Nevada, Florida, Maryland and Arizona have several abortion measures on the ballot. They also warn that if Trump and Republicans gain control of the White House and Congress, they are going to pass a federal abortion ban.

Trump, nevertheless, said he thought overturning Roe and restoring legal status for abortion to states was a good thing.

Harris emerged because the nation’s leading voice on reproductive rights shortly after the leak of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Since replacing President Joe Biden because the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has seemingly reinvigorated the abortion movement.

Political analyst Juanita Tolliver points out that reproductive rights are one in all the important thing differences between Harris and Biden – not of their positions, but in the best way they discuss the problem.

In addition to his viral moment with hecklers, Harris has had a week stuffed with news recently. The vp gave several high-profile interviews, including with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God and FOX News’ Brett Baier.

“I don’t know a single African-American who would want to allow or enable Project 2025 to become the new norm or reality because it is anti-Black at its core,” Johnson said of the controversial pro-Trump conservative agenda released by former Trump administration officials.

“On the one hand, this is about redefining government and creating the reality of 1930s apartheid, rather than ensuring that we look ahead to 2030, which is more diverse, more inclusive and provides more opportunity,” Johnson said.

More history

A black conservative radio host is facing backlash for calling black supporters of Donald Trump “African-American field men.”

Shelley Wynter appeared on October 16, where made the “bazooka explosion” when it divided the U.S. Black male electorate into “African-Americans at home and African-Americans in the field.”

“Let me boil this election in the African-American community down to a very simple word: I will refer to the great Malcolm X,” he said. “This race is between home African Americans and field African Americans, and field African Americans are voting for (Donald) Trump.”

The remarks referred to “house slaves” who worked in the slave house during U.S. slavery and “field slaves” who worked outside. Although Wynter claims he was referring to the Malcolm X quote, his comments were met with criticism from co-host Sarah Sidner and guest Michael Blake, in addition to many who rewatched the clip.

According to Rashawn Ray, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, Wynter’s comments “speak to the growing class divide among black Americans between the haves and have-nots.”

“These types of comments often occur behind closed doors in the black community.”

Wynter claims he was referring to a portion of Malcolm The host of “The Shelley Wynter Show” stands by his comments, saying anyone who has an issue along with his evocation of Malcolm X and slavery is “over-analyzing it.”

“There is an argument to be made that technically we are all slaves to this system, whether you are a Democrat or a Republican,” he said. “No one can be called a slave. “He uses the analogy in the context of what it was used, just like when Malcolm was explaining something and he didn’t call black people slaves when he gave that speech.”

“He said it was a matter of attitude. There are people in the Black community who, once they get near power – i.e. a champion – will tackle the attributes and defend it. And that is what we’re seeing in this race now. “