President Donald Trump’s racist rants and demonstrably anti-Black agenda are a tough sell to Black people. And amid his putrid approval rating among Black folks in particular, it seems several of his allies are trying to deflect some of the outrage at his foes.

In recent days, MAGA influencers and Republican politicians have seized on remarks that California Gov. Gavin Newsom made about overcoming dyslexia during a conversation with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. The effort has used selectively edited clips — taking statements out of sequence and removing context — to make it appear as though Newsom was somehow insulting Black people’s intelligence. 

Some of this disinformation was boosted by Black MAGA influencers, as well as a number of digital tabloid-style sites that have traditionally targeted Black audiences — like WorldstarHipHop, one of many such sites that have helped promote right-wing propaganda and extremism to Black folks. 

For the record, Newsom wasn’t asked about Black people and he said nothing about Black people in his response; a transcript of the event clearly disproves the claims being made online. He wasn’t even speaking to an all-Black audience or to a room that appeared to be majority Black — as evidenced by an Instagram post from Dickens debunking the accusations. 

“We’ve gotten so used to loud, chest-pounding politics that when someone speaks about shortcomings, people try to twist it into something else,” Dickens said. “Let me be clear, though. This is Atlanta. We don’t need anyone to tell us when to be offended. And history has shown … when we are, you’ll know.”

Responding on X to a post by Fox News host Sean Hannity, Newsom wrote, “You didn’t give a s––– about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations s–––holes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia? Spare me your fake f–––ing outrage, Sean.”

As disingenuous as these attempts to recast Newsom’s remarks as racist are, the logic behind them seems clear. Even as he attempts to insulate himself with the old “some of my best friends are Black” trope, Trump and his administration continue to pursue their racist agenda, which is increasingly difficult for people who aren’t ideologically aligned (or complete supplicants) to defend.

So misdirected claims of racism, like those being lobbed at Newsom, seem like an obvious — and rather desperate — way to portray Democrats as no better. Republicans frequently rail against so-called identity politics, but in scenarios like this, they show just how eager they are to do precisely what they often accuse liberals of doing: lobbing bogus claims of racism to gain a political advantage.

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