The founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), Robert “Bob” Johnson, has told the country how he really feels about the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election. According to America’s first Black billionaire, who is also a lifelong Democrat, none of the current Democratic candidates are capable of beating the sitting president, reported The Washington Post (WP).
“I do not see anybody in the Democratic primary races today that is enough in the center where I believe most of the voters are, and particularly where most African Americans are … If you take a snapshot today, I don’t think that group is capable of beating Donald Trump, despite what the polls say,” Johnson said in an interview with CNBC.
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He added that Trump’s “ability to dominate the news cycle and get the narrative going about what he said” causes Democrats to alienate voters who feel they are calling them bad people for supporting Trump.
“I think the president has always been in a position where it’s his to lose based on he’s bringing a sort of disruptive force into what would be called political norms,” Johnson said. “He brings his style … now a lot of people – particularly those who voted for him and those who will vote for him again in the next election – like that style. … What the Democrats have to do is to be careful not to get caught up in stylistic Trump and more in substantive Trump.”
This isn’t the first time Johnson has voiced his praise of the President. Last year, he credited Trump for Black people having the lowest level of unemployment since the 1970s.
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After receiving backlash for his latest comments and perceived support of Trump, Johnson did a follow-up interview with CNBC. In it he said he was “not surprised” at people’s reaction to his comments.
“There’s a tendency in the media, both the conservative side and the liberal side that if a (sic) African American speaks up in a positive way about something good that the president is doing that in itself is a story and not the facts,” Johnson said.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 18: Boyce Watkins
Jamarlin talks with Dr. Boyce Watkins about the lopsided relationship between the Democratic Party and Black America. They discuss potential 2020 presidential candidates, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Kamala Harris, and whether corporations and interests connected to foreign countries have more influence than Black voters on policy and priorities.
Johnson clarified that his comments didn’t mean he would vote for Trump, but said he refuses to be a victim of forced group thought.
“I’m gonna speak my mind and speak it in an independent way and based on the facts and not try to get caught up in the politics of what I call zero sum game … That’s the problem with the country today and I don’t want to play that game,’ Johnson said.
