Democratic politicians took to social media Friday to poke fun at and criticize former president Donald Trump’s remark during the debate that immigrants coming into the United States illegally are “taking Black jobs.”

“Hello from my office at my Black job!” Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) posted on X from Washington.

“Me walking into my ‘Black job’ tomorrow,” Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones (D) wrote alongside a photo of him walking arm and arm on the floor of the state House chambers with fellow representative Gloria Johnson.

“What exactly are Black and Hispanic jobs!?!” the NAACP asked on X.

Trump was responding to a question about Black voters from CNN moderator Dana Bash. He began his answer by claiming President Biden caused inflation that is “killing Black families and Hispanic families and just about everybody.”

He then said Biden’s “big kill on the Black people” is illegal immigration.

“They’re taking Black jobs now — and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people. They’re taking Black jobs, and they’re taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven’t seen it yet, but you’re gonna see something that’s going to be the worst in our history,” Trump said.

Many took the comment to mean that jobs most frequently done by immigrants who are in the United States illegally, including farm labor, were “Black jobs.”

Trump’s campaign said he was referring to Biden’s immigration plan which “will take away good paying jobs from American citizens.”

“President Trump will put Black Americans, and all Americans, first by deporting Biden’s illegals out of their communities, protecting their jobs, bringing down inflation, and putting more money in their pockets,” Trump national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an email statement, using a derogatory term for unauthorized immigrants.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) defended Trump during an interview with CBS News on Thursday night when he was asked, “What are Black jobs?”

“You know what he meant by that,” Rubio replied to correspondent Margaret Brennan. “He meant jobs that are filled by African Americans in America and others, Americans in general.”

He later added: “When you flood a country with millions of people, you’re going to have more competition for work. And those workers are willing to do it at a lower wage, and you see it in some of the fields like construction and trades, it impacts Hispanic communities as well.”

Black voters make up the Democrats’ most loyal constituency, but polls show support for Biden among those voters has softened in battleground states such as Georgia. Republicans are trying to win some of those voters with new outreach efforts.

Economic data shows that Black workers have been faring exceptionally well: The Black unemployment rate remains near historic lows and wage gains are at all-time highs.

Black doctors, lawyers, university professors and others posted photos of themselves at work with the hashtag #BlackJobs.

Virginia state Del. Joshua G. Cole walked around the state Capitol asking Black colleagues for a TikTok video “What are you doing?” They all answered, “Just doing my Black job.”

Cole said Trump was “race-baiting and fearmongering.”

“I think he was also trying to indicate that Black jobs are jobs that no one wants to do,” Cole said.

Florida state Rep. Ashley Gantt shared several posts from people mocking Trump’s comment and asking “Black jobs?” She said he clearly meant “subservient jobs.”

“If you look at the reality of what these brave people who immigrate to this country from horrific circumstances, and they get jobs, even if it’s under the table, what jobs are those?” Gantt said. “That’s him directly saying Black people should be relegated to these jobs, and that’s it.”

Many people posted a photo of former president Barack Obama under the #BlackJobs hashtag.

“This is a way of showing how absolutely clueless you are about Black people,” Gantt said about the memes aimed at Trump’s comments. “A Black man occupied the highest office in the land, the one that this convicted felon is vying for. So that’s what a Black job is.”

Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/06/28/trump-democrats-black-voters-jobs/