Feb 24, 2025 Story by: Editor
Former President Donald Trump emphasized his support among Black voters in the 2024 presidential election during a White House reception celebrating Black History Month. The event featured golfing legend Tiger Woods.
While touting his return to the White House, Trump stirred controversy by joking about the possibility of seeking a third term, a remark that drew chants of “Four more years!” from the audience.
Speaking at the White House, Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters, asserting that he had secured the backing of “almost” 40 percent of Black voters in the election.
During his speech on February 20, 2025, Trump stated: “I’m proud to say that we, we received, listen to this, more votes from Black Americans than any Republican president ever.
“Almost, almost 40 percent of the vote.”
However, Trump’s assertion that nearly 40 percent of Black voters supported him is not corroborated by available polling and research data. No Republican candidate has attained such a level of support among Black voters since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.
According to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of 120,000 voters conducted by the Associated Press, 16 percent of Black voters cast their ballots for Trump in 2024. While this was the highest level of Black voter support for a Republican presidential candidate since Gerald Ford in 1976, it fell well short of Trump’s claimed 40 percent.
Additional data from sources such as the Public Religion Research Institute, CNN Exit Polls, and Navigator yielded similar findings.
Trump did make notable gains among specific Black voter demographics. AP VoteCast reported that 25 percent of Black men supported him, and he nearly doubled his backing among Black men under 45 compared to 2020, with approximately three in ten voting for him.
Nonetheless, across multiple sources, no data supports his assertion that 40 percent of Black voters backed him.
Newsweek has reached out to a White House media representative via email for comment.
Trump’s claim that he received more votes from Black Americans than any Republican president in history is also misleading. PolitiFact reports that Eisenhower secured over 39 percent of Black voter support in the 1956 election.
Following the 2024 election, several reports noted that Trump had performed better among Black voters than any Republican candidate since Gerald Ford in 1976. This aligns with data compiled by Forbes.
Research and exit polls from the 2024 election indicate that 16-17 percent of Black voters supported Trump. While this marks an increase from his 2020 performance, it remains far from the 40 percent he claimed. Source: News Week
