More than 80% of black voters reported that they believe President Trump is a racist.
A recent poll conducted by the Washington Post/Ipsos asked black citizens, “Do you think President Trump is a racist?” Only 13% of respondents said they didn’t think the president was racist, while 83% said he was. The same percentage of respondents reported that they believe Trump “made racism a bigger problem” in the United States.
As a whole, black respondents felt that now is a good time to be white in America and a bad time to be black, with just 30% of respondents saying it was a good time to be black. More than 75% of black respondents felt that white Americans “do not understand the level of discrimination black Americans face” in their daily lives.
Trump has pointed to record-low unemployment rates among black people as proof that his policies are helping improve the lives of black voters, but the poll revealed that most respondents don’t think Trump should get credit for the low unemployment rate. More than three-quarters of respondents said Trump shouldn’t get the credit, while only 20% said he should.
Several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have been vying for the black vote on the campaign trail, but many have steered to the left of the political beliefs held by former President Barack Obama. That could backfire, according to the polling data. Only 21% of black respondents reported that they want a candidate who supports “more liberal or progressive policies” than Obama, while 74% said they want a similar or “less liberal” candidate than Obama.
That sentiment was reflected in their support for Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden. Biden, 77, was the most supported candidate among black voters, with 48% saying they would back him if the primaries or caucuses were held in their state today. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren followed Biden with 20% and 9% support, respectively. No other candidate earned more than 4% support.
The poll was conducted online from Jan. 2-8, 2020, among 1,088 non-Hispanic black adults age 18 and over. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%.
