Democratic group highlights Trump’s past comments in Black History Month campaign

A prominent Democratic super PAC rolled out a Black History Month initiative Friday aimed at reminding voters of former President Trump’s history of incendiary comments on race.

American Bridge 21st Century said it would highlight examples of Trump’s “blatant racism” as part of its “This F‑‑‑ing Guy” campaign, a broader effort to highlight controversial moments from the former president’s time in office.

The Black History Month effort, which was shared first with The Hill, cited Trump’s role as a leading proponent of the racist “birther” theory that then-President Obama was not born in the United States.

The organization also pointed to a 1975 settlement between Trump and the Justice Department, after the government accused Trump and his father of refusing to rent to prospective Black tenants.

American Bridge highlighted Trump’s targeting of the Central Park Five, a group of teens whose rape convictions were later overturned. Trump in 1989 took out full-page ads in New York newspapers calling for the death penalty for the group. In 2019, he refused to apologize for the incident.

Trump also drew backlash for his handling of protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

“There are numerous examples from Trump’s four decades in public life that highlight his blatant racism,” Brandon Weathersby, the group’s presidential campaign communications director, said in a statement. “He wields racism as a tool to divide Americans and serve himself, without caring who may be hurt by his actions or rhetoric. This f‑‑‑ing guy is a racist who cannot be president again.”

American Bridge has taken a lead on efforts to highlight Trump’s controversial actions and comments as he campaigns for another White House term. The former president is on track to become the GOP nominee for president, setting up a rematch with President Biden in November.

Polling has shown a close race between the two men, with Biden leading in recent swing state polls out of Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, but Trump ahead in key states including Michigan and Georgia.

Trump sought to make Biden’s leading role in a 1994 crime bill that led to a spike in incarceration rates for Black people a major issue in the 2020 campaign.