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RAYNARD JACKSON: An Open Letter to President Donald J. Trump from a Black Republican

Raynard Jackson

President Trump, King Solomon and I went to breakfast last night and he told me to share this Bible verse with you:

Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).

Wisdom is simply knowledge gained through experience.  Understanding is knowing when and how to apply this knowledge.  

I want to share with you some of my wisdom from being a political operative in the Republican Party for more than thirty years; I am hoping that my insight will help you to understand why Blacks view you the way they do.

On issues, many in the Black community actually agree with you.

Blacks are with you on the economy, especially with the historic low Black unemployment rate.  Blacks are with you in your opposition to the radical homosexual and transgender agenda.  Blacks are with you in your opposition to “illegal” immigration.

Blacks are conservative by nature; we use the term “traditional values.”  The liberal media wants the public to believe otherwise; but if you simply walk into any Black community; you would be stunned at their opposition to liberalism.

Let me say for the record that I am a huge supporter of yours and support your reelection.  I do not agree with everything you have done since your election as president.  When I have disagreed with you, I have stated so in my column.

I thoroughly disagreed with you on your comments about Charlottesville; just like I now disagree with you on your comments about the four Democrat congressmen (I refuse to mention their names).

If I were to end my comments here, Mr. president, then I would be doing a disservice to you.  So, allow me to continue.

Most people are aware of the consent agreement in the HUD lawsuit that your father’s company agreed to in the 1970s; most people are aware that you still hold to the disproven belief that the Central Park Five were guilty.

Despite this notoriety, Jesse Jackson heaped tons of effusive praise upon you at his 1998 Rainbow/Push Coalition Wall Street Project Conference in New York.  There is simply no way to explain away Jesse’s high regard for you based on this video.

In a similar manner, Al Sharpton cozied up to you quite a bit in the 1980s and beyond, according to a detailed expose in the National Review. You had mutual business dealings that seemed to be based on each of your personal agendas.  You each had something that the other wanted and needed and struck deals based on this set of mutual interests.

You also raised and contributed thousands of dollars for Sharpton over the years according to National Review.

Even Oprah Winfrey got in on the act.  She and you were known to have socialized together on occasion according to Fortune magazine.

President Trump, you are neither all good nor all bad.  You are like most of us, a combination of both.

As one of your supporters, I wish you would spend more time talking about the low unemployment rate you have produced for the Black community; the aid you have provided Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs); or putting the well-being of Blacks ahead of those in the country illegally.

Every time you make an incendiary tweet or statement, especially those with racial overtones, that’s less time people like me have to focus on the substance of your accomplishments relative to the Black community; and you make it more difficult for us to expand your base of support in the Black community.

All of the media’s criticism of you is not based on their extreme hatred of you and your administration.  This current controversy involving you is all self-inflicted and is totally your fault.

So, how do you move forward, especially as your reelection campaign gears up?

The first thing I would recommend is to find some “real” Blacks who have “credibility” in the Black community.  I am unaware of any Blacks around you who meet this criterion.   

You must surround yourself with Blacks who understand political strategy and strategic communications.  These Blacks must also be highly skilled in engaging with the media.

Mr. president, you have a great story to tell within the Black community; but there is absolutely no communications strategy in place whatsoever.

Blacks are looking for a reason to vote Republican, you simply must give them a reason to do so. 

Blacks are with you on many of the issues; they need to see you surround yourself with “real” Blacks who are not entertaining you and not with Blacks whose only claim to fame is the number of twitter followers they have.

You have “real” Blacks all across the country who have supreme “credibility” within the Black community who have disengaged from the party.

Your administration and your reelection campaign must reach out to these esteemed Blacks if you have any hope of increasing your share of the Black vote above 8%.

If you get north of 15% of the Black vote next year, mathematically a Democrat cannot win the white house.

You have a fast closing window to begin substantively engaging with the Black community; but you must tone down the racial rhetoric and focus strictly on the accomplishments of your administration. 

If you are willing to do this, you will get a second term because the country is on your side; the liberal media simply refuse to show the public how “real” Americans view your administration.

So, it’s incumbent on your administration and your campaign to take your message directly to the Black community.  But again, you must have “real” and “credible” Blacks at your side. 

“And with all thy getting; get understanding!!!!!!!!!!!”

Raynard Jackson is a Pulitzer Award nominated columnist and founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter @Raynard1223.

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