From this story: The White House wanted A$AP Rocky to publicly thank President Trump and the administration for his release, in a move they hoped would help them with black people, but the rapper reportedly ghosted them upon arrival back to the US. https://t.co/MPwjN9w3N5
— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) August 23, 2019
Could we cynics have been wrong in assuming that Trump’s support of A$AP Rocky was nothing but a cheap ploy to reassure his white Base that he was Not A Racist? Well, with so many grifters inveterate self-promoters each telling a different story, it’s hard to be sure:
… According to new details provided by sources involved, Trump’s role in pushing for Rocky’s release started with a reality television megastar calling the West Wing, a mysterious entertainment industry “fixer” and two Trump supporters. The president’s allies who connected Rocky’s team with the White House hoped to facilitate a scene that would bolster Trump’s image among African-Americans. Instead, they say they were left angry when Rocky failed to thank Trump or those around him…
Darrell Scott and Kareem Lanier entered the picture a few days after Rocky was detained. Scott, an Ohio pastor, was one of Trump’s highest-profile African-American surrogates during the 2016 campaign and went on to serve on his transition team. Lanier is the co-chairman of the Urban Revitalization Coalition, a nonprofit led by Scott dedicated to promoting elements of the Trump agenda to the black community. The two men, who were hardly household names, have become a regular presence at the White House at events focused on addressing African-American issues.
Scott and Lanier said they became involved after hearing from a man named Hassan Muhammad, who describes himself as a “fixer” for high-profile figures in the entertainment industry. In a pair of phone conversations this week, Muhammad, who has no web presence and was unwilling to name any of his contacts, said an associate of Rocky’s reached out to him about the rapper’s situation…
TL, DR: These two high-profile surrogates seem to have convinced Jared Kushner that the Oval Office Occupant making a huge public fuss (always one of Trump’s favorite things) would improve his status with The Blacks. And Jared, publicity expert, jumped at the possibility! It’s not as though guys like this might’ve had ulterior motives, right?…
… Both Lanier and Scott were upset that Rocky never acknowledged the assistance he had gotten. Lanier attributed this to the potential blowback that an African-American celebrity like Rocky could face for embracing Trump.
“One of the problems that we have as a culture — and I’m talking about black Americans — is herd mentality,” Lanier said. “Right now it’s popular for those guys to bash President Trump.”
The two men said they were left disappointed that Rocky didn’t thank the White House — even behind the scenes.
“All he had to do was do a two-minute call to say thank you,” said Scott. “Rocky hasn’t even called us and said, ‘Hey, man, thank you guys. I appreciate it,’ in private. Just in private.”
Wait, so this was all just a political tactic to make it seem like Trump cares about Black people and had nothing to do with A$AP's treatment?
It's like the people who were saying this at the time were, well, 100% right.
— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) August 23, 2019
It is extremely funny that: 1. trump thought helping a$ap rocky was going to help him with black voters 2. That a$ap was going to *want* to be used for that purpose 3. That none of them listened to his music, which is very clear on what he thinks of Trump https://t.co/t2wMGm8ugd
— Adam Serwer? (@AdamSerwer) August 23, 2019
Late Night Open Thread: But Who Was the Target Audience?Post + Comments (27)