The Trump campaign “disavowed” a group, run by longtime conservative activist Vernon Robinson, that seeks to broaden the president’s reach with black voters.
Black Americans to Re-Elect the President political action committee “appears to be using Donald J. Trump’s name, image, likeness, or slogans in connection with soliciting contributions and conducting other activities,” according to a Federal Election Commission report filed by the president’s reelection campaign and published Thursday.
According to the filing, the campaign “is concerned about the likelihood of confusion among the public, which may be led to believe such activities are authorized by Mr. Trump” or his campaign, “or that contributions to such unauthorized committees are being made to Mr. Trump’s campaign, when they are not.” The campaign “wishes to place this disavowal notice on the public record that the following committee is not authorized by Mr. Trump.”
Reached for comment Friday, Black Americans to Re-Elect the President co-founder Vernon Robinson disputed the charge and shared with the Washington Examiner a statement saying that it has not portrayed itself as part of the Trump campaign.
“We have never claimed to be part of the Trump campaign and our booklet Keep Black America Great, our radio ads and our website include the disclaimer Paid for by Black Americans to Re-elect the President: Not authorized by any candidate or candidates’ committee,” the statement reads. “We believe that when we sit down with the Trump Campaign Counsel, we will work out this misunderstanding consistent with prohibition on coordination between an independent committee and an authorized one.”
Robinson, who has been dubbed “the black Jesse Helms,” said in the statement that the group had purchased booths at GOP and conservative meetings in 10 states “to convince party leaders and conservative activists to change course and actively pursue support of black voters for the President’s re-election and his agenda,” made radio ad buys in 16 markets to help elect federal candidates who support the president, and had sent more than 1 million mailings supporting the president’s agenda.
“Scam PACs keep the money, don’t do any of the above things and do not have this caliber of public servants leading their PACs,” the statement said.
Black Americans to Re-Elect the President raised more than $1,100,000 in 2019, according to filings released by the Federal Election Commission.
Robinson is the coauthor of the book Coming Home: How Black Americans Will Re-Elect Trump.
An earlier iteration of Robinson’s group released a highly controversial radio ad in support of Rep. French Hill, an Arkansas Republican, suggesting black people could be lynched if white Democrats won in a 2018 election. The super PAC behind the ad, Black Americans for the President’s Agenda, changed its name to Black Americans to Re-Elect the President in November 2018, according to FEC documents. Hill publicly disavowed the ad at the time.
The Trump campaign has previously shared plans to grow support for President Trump among black voters, aiming to double in 2020 the 8% support the president won in 2016.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
