'Can't handle the truth': Michael Steele sparks debate as he pushes back on Donald Trump's 'Black friends' remark

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele has ignited a fierce debate by dismissing former President Donald Trump’s assertion that he cannot be racist because he has "so many Black friends."

Steele's pointed comments come amid Trump's ongoing efforts to court Black voters as he campaigns against President Joe Biden. Speaking on MSNBC, Steele refuted Trump’s claim, emphasizing that having Black friends does not absolve someone of racist behavior, as per The Hill.

Michael Steele pushes back against Donald Trump's 'Black friends' defense

"Someone can be racist and still have Black friends, though it says something about the relationship," Steele remarked.

He also criticized Trump’s past actions, referencing the 1989 full-page ads Trump took out against the Central Park Five, a group of Black and Latino teenagers wrongfully accused of a violent crime.

Steele didn’t hold back, reminding viewers of Trump’s derogatory comments about "s***hole countries" in Africa and his infamous remark about "very fine people on both sides" at the 2016 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Spare me the ‘Donald Trump has Black friends’ BS. It’s Sunday morning, and I don’t want to have to go to church twice," Steele expressed.

In a recent interview with Semafor, Trump pushed back against allegations of racism. "I have so many Black friends, that if I were a racist, they wouldn’t be friends; they would know better than anybody, and fast. They would not be with me for two minutes if they thought I was racist — and I’m not racist," Trump claimed.

Trump’s defense extended beyond personal relationships. He argued that some Black voters identify with him because they feel similarly discriminated against by the criminal justice system.

"I think it’s through osmosis. They see what’s happening. And a lot of them feel that similar things have happened to them. I mean, they’ve expressed that to me very plainly and very clear. They see what’s happened to them," Trump explained.

Despite his claims, Trump faces a significant challenge in garnering support from Black voters. An April NBC News poll indicated that Biden leads Trump among Black voters 71 percent to 13 percent, a decline from the 2020 exit polls showing an 87 percent to 12 percent margin in Biden’s favor.

Trump’s campaign has been notably active in trying to attract Black voters, particularly Black men. Among the potential vice-presidential picks for Trump are prominent Black Republicans such as Byron Donalds, Tim Scott, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

Michael Steele's comments about Donald Trump's 'Black friends' defense spark debate

Steele’s comments about Trump's 'Black friends' defense sparked divided reactions online. One user on Facebook wrote, "All of Trump’s relationships are transactional. He has no friends. He has people he’s nice to when he can use them. Once he doesn’t need them anymore, he’s done."

Another user commented, "Trump just wants their vote, like anyone else’s vote to stay out of prison at this point. Not like you will see him inviting them to Mar-A-Lago to hang out, like any of his simpleton disciples."

"Trump and his father refused to rent apartment to Blacks decades ago. Trump hasn't changed much since," one user asserted. "Trump will lose again, and no amount of lying about fictitious Black support will change that," another wrote.

However, not all reactions were negative towards Trump. Some users criticized Steele instead. "Yet Steele spends his life begging for crumbs at the whitest network on TV….MSNBC. Got news for you Michael, you’re the token Black guy at Morning Joe," one user stated.

Another defended Trump’s efforts, saying, "Steele is pathetic. Trump is at least making the effort to go into those neighborhoods and reach out to Black folks. Steele never did that when he led the RNC, nor did any presidential candidate he backed make that effort."

"Stop trying to pretend Black people don’t support Trump because a lot do," a user pointed out. Another user added, "Awe, Steele is a poor baby who can’t handle the truth."

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