Rap mogul 50 Cent said black men are “identifying” with former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden in the aftermath of Trump’s conviction.
The Grammy-winner, also known as Curtis Jackson, met with House Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday in order to advocate for black entrepreneurs and business owners, and to call for more representation for black people working in the liquor industry, the Hill reported.
While meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, a reporter asked 50 Cent what he saw “among African American men” in the upcoming 2024 presidential election in November.
“I see them identifying with Trump,” the rapper answered.
“Why do you say that?” the reporter asked.
The rapper responded by stating it was because they have “RICO charges.”
In August 2023, Trump was indicted on a racketeering charge.
Under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which was passed in 1970, there are around 35 offenses that are defined as racketeering. Some examples of racketeering charges consist of gambling, murder, kidnapping, bribery, and drug dealing.
Most recently, Trump was found guilty of 34 charges of falsifying business records in the first degree related to payments made to adult entertainment star, Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
50 Cent says black men identify with Trump “because they’ve got RICO charges.”
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) June 5, 2024
People in 2016 were in denial about how lower class whites actually liked Trump’s rhetoric on immigrants, etc.
2024 is going to end with them being shocked at what about Trump appeals to blacks. pic.twitter.com/lKelxYPj2F
This is not the first time that the famous rapper has seemingly come out in favor of Trump. In October 2020, 50 Cent criticized Biden’s proposed tax plan in a post on Instagram and seemed to endorse Trump for reelection, writing that people should vote for him.
In February, 50 Cent suggested that “maybe Trump is the answer,” after New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) came out with a plan to distribute $53 million on pre-paid credit cards to migrants in the city.
A Wall Street Journal poll from April found that 30 percent of black men and 11 percent of black women have intentions to vote for Trump in the upcoming election. This represented an increase from 2020 when only 12 percent of black men had voted for Trump. Six percent of black women stated they would vote for Trump in 2020.
Democrat officials have recently been sounding the alarm and warning Biden that “time is running out” for him to get his message across to black voters in America.
An I&I/TIPP Poll survey from the beginning of May showed that Biden was suffering from a 28 percent decline in support among black voters. In 2020, 87 percent of black voters supported Biden, while Trump had 12 percent of support from black voters. The poll found that Trump had gained three points among black voters, sitting at 15 percent, while Biden’s support with black voters had slipped to 59 percent.