Donald Trump debuts his gold high-tops at Sneaker

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Former President Donald Trump debuts his gold high-tops at 'Sneaker Con'

In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is publishing the series "29 Black Stories in 29 Days." We examine the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials continue to face after the nation’s reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This is the fourth installment of the series.

A screenshot from the website where Donald Trump is selling his $399 "Never Surrender High-Top Sneaker."
A screenshot from the website where Donald Trump is selling his $399 "Never Surrender High-Top Sneaker."
© Screenshot
I don't speak for Black America™; and suspect the list of candidates that potentially could is short. Barack Obama? Oprah? My mom? That's about it. However, I feel highly comfortable speaking for Black America™; when I say this.

Large numbers of Black Americans are not going to suddenly support Donald Trump because of his new sneakers.

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Now, you read that sentence and thought: yeah, Mike, no kidding. Why would you even bring this up, dummy? Wellllll...I didn't, but a Fox News contributor did, and his remarks are so gloriously, remarkably, unbelievably, staggeringly dumb that I thought it was a joke. But nope. He meant it. He actually meant it.

"I was on social media last night," the contributor said. The second those words came out of his mouth, it was clear things were going awry.


"Very interesting. As you see Black support eroding from Joe Biden," he said. "This is (the shoes) connecting with Black America. Because they're into sneakers. They love sneakers. This is a big deal. Certainly in the inner city."

Well certainly in the inner city, yes sir. Because those inner city Black folks love them sneakers. The suburban Black folks? Not so much. Us suburban Black people love loafers. However, when us suburban folks venture into the city, we do change into our sneakers, so maybe he has a point.

Also, does anyone have a phone number for the Congressman to the Inner City? I want to fact check all of this.

"So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line," he continued, "they're like, 'Wait a minute. This is cool."

Who is "they" exactly? I don't think many people in Black America™; looked at those gold monstrosities and said "this is cool." Plus, people in the Inner City don't say "cool." They say "fly." Wait, that's from the 80s. They say smokin'. Wait, that's from the 90s. They say on fleek. Wait, that's the 2000s. I'll get back to you on this. Gotta check with some Inner City sources.

"He's reaching them on a level that defies and is above politics," he said.

Who is "them" exactly. This has strong "you people" vibes.

"The culture always trumps politics," he said, "and Trump understands culture like no other politician I've ever seen."

Hold on. Trump is the culture now? Which culture? Like, the Aryan one?

This wildly racist, and just plain odd stance, that Black people are so dumb, and so easily swayed, that large swaths of Black voters would back Trump simply because he rolled out the worst shoes ever invented, reminds me of when right-wing politicians and analysts said after Trump was booked in Georgia for one of his googolplex of criminal cases that Trump's mugshot would make him more popular with Black Americans. The reasoning for that is...because Black people identify with criminals more? I guess? Though I have to say The Wire is an excellent show.


In the last Presidential election, AP VoteCast reported that eight percent of Black Americans voted for Trump. There are the usual stories appearing now about increasing numbers of Black men wanting to support Trump but if anyone believes that a bunch of Black people are going to back Trump because of shoes, you must really think incredibly low of us. Just like Trump does.

The reason right-wing people tell these stories about us, these lies, really, is because they see Black Americans in one dimension. In some cases, if not many, yes, it is just plain racism. But in others, it is just profound ignorance.

In this case, the caricature is more goofy than sinister but make no mistake, breaking down a race to such simplistic terms is always dangerous, in fact, this type of racial deconstruction is among the most dangerous of all. Because from caricatures come far worse things like scapegoating and beyond.

Sneakers are a big part of sports culture and like other groups of people, there are Black Americans that like sports, so there's going to be a certain level of sneakerheads in my community.

But one of the big things this Fox News host misses is that sneaker infatuations are part of numerous communities. Lots of different people are sneakerheads.

So, no, I don't speak for Black America™; in any way but if these horrible shoes sway millions of Black voters, I will buy a pair, and go visit my people in the Inner City.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hey Fox News: The gold Trump sneakers are ugly. And they won't sway the Black vote.

***
Trump sneakers an effort to connect with Black voters: Fox News contributor
Story by Elizabeth Beyer, USA TODAY  •
15h

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Gold Trump sneakers sit on the podium after Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump spoke at Sneaker Con Philadelphia, an event popular among sneaker collectors, and announces a gold Trump sneaker, in Philadelphia, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
Gold Trump sneakers sit on the podium after Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump spoke at Sneaker Con Philadelphia, an event popular among sneaker collectors, and announces a gold Trump sneaker, in Philadelphia, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP
Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo doubled down on a racial trope that Black Americans will support former President Donald Trump because “they love sneakers.”

Last week, the GOP frontrunner made a surprise visit to Sneaker Con in Philadelphia to debut red, blue, and gold gym shoes called “Never Surrender High Top Sneaker,” selling for $399.


“This is (the shoes) connecting with Black America. Because they’re into sneakers. They love sneakers. This is a big deal. Certainly in the inner city,” Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo said during a network broadcast.

Arroyo suggested that Black voters will pivot from the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden because of the new footwear.

“It’s for people who want Donald Trump-brand sneakers that, against, he’s connecting on a different level.”
More: Hey Fox News: The gold Trump sneakers are ugly. And they won't sway the Black vote.

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign issued a stark rebuke to Trump’s sneaker-gate.

“Donald Trump showing up to hawk bootleg Off-Whites is the closest he’ll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life,” Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director, said in a statement.

The nearly $400 sneakers were released the day after a judge ordered Trump and his namesake company to pay $453.5 million in a New York real estate fraud lawsuit. 

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Trump sneakers an effort to connect with Black voters: Fox News contributor

Related video: Fox host says Black people will back Trump because ‘they love sneakers’ (MSNBC)
If you want to know what Trump campaign staffers think
MSNBC
Fox host says Black people will back Trump because ‘they love sneakers’
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DEE Man
45m
That kind of thinking is what creates a shock when the reality hits. Trump is in courts with Black Prosecutors on the other side of the table and this guy thinks Black people vote for others based on shoes? OK, good luck with that.
B Boales
11h
Did Trump make the declaration or connection that the shoes were an attempt to garner Black American votes?  I didn't think so.

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What are those?' Trump's gold high-tops show how out of touch he is.
Opinion by James E. Causey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
02/27/24


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Former President Donald Trump debuts his gold high-tops at 'Sneaker Con'
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Did you see the shoes that apparently are the key to a second presidential term for Donald Trump?

The “Never Surrender” gold high-top sneakers debuted at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia this month, sporting an American flag detail on the back with a bold “T” on the side. The limited edition sold out at $400 a pair.

Conservative commentators said the shoes show Trump's uncanny ability to connect with people and surely will win him Black votes. On Fox News, Raymond Arroyo told viewers he loves the sneakers and even suggested that Black people have such an attachment to athletic shoes, it could cause some to jump parties.

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“As you see Black support eroding from Joe Biden," Arroyo said. "This is (the shoes) connecting with Black America. Because they're into sneakers, they love sneakers. This is a big deal. Certainly in the inner city."
He continued, “The culture always trumps politics. And Trump understands culture like no politician I’ve ever seen.”

I have a few questions for Arroyo:

Who did he talk to in the “inner city”?

Who told him Trump’s shoes are resonating with the Black community?

I’m not a sneakerhead, but I know a lot about shoes, and in my honest opinion, if anyone in my neighborhood hooped in these at Washington Park, they would get hit with a “What are those?” While I don’t speak for all Black Americans, I talked to my friends, and they labeled the shoes “trash.”

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If conservatives believe Blacks are so simplistic that shiny sneakers will sway them to vote, it shows you how out of touch they continue to be with the community. Comments made by Trump over the weekend further illustrate why.

Trump sneakers? Whichever presidential candidate offers the best footwear gets my vote.

Trump said Black voters favor him over Obama
Trump usually believes he’s the most intelligent person in the room, and he even said he understands Black culture unlike no other politician. Based on Friday's comments at the Black Conservative Federation Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, I would say he has much more to learn.


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Trump suggested Black voters support him because of his 91 criminal indictments related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, allegations he mishandled classified documents and made payments to a porn actress.

“I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing,” Trump told the crowd. “And a lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against.”

Fullscreen button
Gold Trump sneakers sit on the podium after Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump spoke at Sneaker Con Philadelphia, an event popular among sneaker collectors, and announces a gold Trump sneaker, in Philadelphia, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
Gold Trump sneakers sit on the podium after Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump spoke at Sneaker Con Philadelphia, an event popular among sneaker collectors, and announces a gold Trump sneaker, in Philadelphia, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP
Trump compared his legal battles to the injustices African Americans have suffered in the legal system for centuries. He even suggested that Black voters would choose him over former President Barack Obama.

He also called President Joe Biden a racist while saying that he has spent his entire life working “hand in hand” with Blacks to create jobs, build buildings and invest in our communities.

“I’ve built a lot of buildings, and I want to tell you a Black worker is a great worker; you’ve done an incredible job," Trump said. "They’ve done an incredible job, really talented great people. And that goes for others, too – Hispanic is incredible.”

I'm worn from years of racial slurs. But I'll no longer be silent about bigotry.

Now, I know some of you will say Trump is just giving Blacks and Hispanics a compliment. You may also say Trump can’t be racist because he is considering U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who is Black, to be his running mate.

If Trump’s not a racist, can we acknowledge that he’s severely out of touch, much like anyone who believes his shoes will resonate among Blacks in the inner city? This isn’t just an indictment on Trump. The remaining candidates running for president are also flawed when it comes to referencing the Black American experience.

In January, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley claimed that the United States has “never been a racist country.” The history books say otherwise. Does slavery ring any bells?

Biden has stumbled at times, as well. In an interview with Charlamagne tha God on “The Breakfast Club” in 2020, Biden said, “Well, I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”

Trump and most conservatives don't understand Black values
When Trump appeared at the sneaker convention, he was met with a mixture of boos and cheers. Not surprisingly, you can find sneakers on a website where you can also buy a $99 bottle of Trump cologne called “Victory47,” signifying the fact that if he’s reelected, he will be the 47th president.

Did Nikki Haley forget her own past? Haley says America has never been 'racist.' Her own family history says otherwise.

Trump is a salesman. He’s placed his name on vodka, steaks, energy drinks, suits, ties, cufflinks and even gold bullion chocolate bars. The sneakers are the latest in a series of things he hopes to profit from.

Any controversy over sneakers, comments or indictments hasn't slowed Trump’s momentum. On Saturday, he easily defeated Haley in South Carolina’s Republican primary. I have no problem with the “Never Surrender” sneakers. I wouldn’t wear them, but I wouldn’t wear a “Make America Great Again” hat, either.

My problem with the Trump sneaker and the love Trump believes Blacks are giving him because of the indictments is he proves that he and other conservatives don’t understand African Americans' values at all.

No, a shiny shoe is not more important than your policies and how they impact people of color. And no, 91 indictments don’t make most Blacks love you. Your mugshot doesn’t make you one of us, either.

Most of us are upset at the hypocrisy. If Trump were Black, he'd be in prison and not running for president again.

James E. Causey is an Ideas Lab reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column first published. Email him at jcausey@jrn.com. Follow him on X: @jecausey

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'What are those?' Trump's gold high-tops show how out of touch he is.