The Trump campaign is reclaiming the term “woke” from liberal campaigners as part of a cheeky effort to attract black voters who believe President Trump has delivered on his promises.
The word has been printed up on stickers and T-shirts, and supporters are being encouraged to text the word to a phone number to register with the campaign.
Katrina Pierson, senior campaign adviser, said the idea was meant to be humorous but also convey an important point about overturning misconceptions around Trump’s time in office.
“It’s the same concept as being asleep for so long to the truth, and now you are awake,” she said.
The branding is being rolled out with a nationwide network of Black Voices community centers that will serve as a focal point for attracting African American voters.
At its heart, officials say, will be reminders of the work Trump has done supporting historically black colleges and universities, building opportunity zones to attract investment in forgotten neighborhoods, and reforming a justice system that has disproportionately punished ethnic minorities.
Jared Kushner, senior adviser to the president, said, “Last time, it was, ‘What the hell do you have to lose?’ Now, you show them what they’ve gained from President Trump and what more they can gain if they get four more years of President Trump.”
In 2016, Trump attracted just 8% of black votes. This time around, campaign officials say their polling has African American support at more than 20%.
The campaign is asking black voters to think about the gains won in the past four years. And if “woke” entered mainstream language via African American vigilance over issues of social justice and racial justice, then — in a move almost certain to infuriate opponents — it should just as easily apply to Trump successes and outreach to black voters.
“This concept by itself is a woke concept in the fact that, for decades, you have had a community that has been controlled by the Democratic Party,” said Pierson. “Republicans haven’t even got in to deliver their message.
“Now we have a Republican who is actually going to the community to deliver the message and ask for the vote.”
Although the drive has a serious message, the campaign delights in trolling its opponents with tongue-in-cheek merchandising. Stocks of Trump-emblazoned plastic straws sold out almost as soon as they went on sale as supporters delighted in ridiculing the liberal obsession with plastic waste.
