Sen. Tim Scott, a black Republican from South Carolina, on Friday said R&B singer John Legend’s claim that rapper Kanye West is selling out African-Americans to back a white Republican president’s policies is nonsense.
“Is Kanye betraying the African-American community? That is what John Legend is saying,” Fox News co-anchor Ainsley Earhardt asked Scott.
“A southern word: that’s Hogwash. There is no way in the world that that’s anything except standing up for folks that cannot stand up for themselves,” Scott said. “Chance the Rapper said it well, ‘Because you’re black, does not mean you’re a Democrat, period.’
“You say that they have nothing in common but the reality is, President Trump’s policy direction has helped lower African-American unemployment to the lowest in recorded history,” Scott added. “While there are a lot of differences that you would imagine between two of them, the fact is, if you’re both focusing on moving the country together with no exclusions, you can see why Kanye is talking positively about President Trump.”
Scott said West’s tweeted support for Trump on Wednesday ought to cause more people to re-examine what policies would be most beneficial to each person and make a change in political parties if need be.
“The president signed on to creating opportunity zones in the most distressed communities, which will disproportionately have a positive impact on the black community. So why would it be contradictory or inconsistent with what is in the best interests of black males specifically, being one, than the free opportunities for higher educational achievement, more jobs, and frankly more wealth in the African-American community?” Scott asked.
West, who is married to Kim Kardashian, announced on Twitter Wednesday that “the mob can’t make me not love him [Trump].”
[Related: Kim Kardashian defends Kanye West: People should be ‘able to have their own opinions’]
Some prominent African-American artists criticized West’s decision. Trump thanked West for the endorsement.
“I get along with Kanye. I get along with a lot of people, frankly. But Kanye looks and he sees black unemployment at the lowest it’s been in the history of our country, OK? He sees Hispanic unemployment at the lowest it’s been in the history of our country. He sees, by the way female unemployment, women unemployment, the lowest it’s been in now almost 19 years,” Trump told “Fox and Friends” Thursday. “He sees that stuff and he’s smart.”
