Presidential hopeful Donald Trump sat with CNBC’s John Harwood to talk policy, being a problem solver, and the incompetent leaders America has had thus far.
Yet when the host of Speakeasy flat out asked the real estate tycoon if his campaign catered to white American fear, Trump countered by gloating about the percentage of black supporters he has.
“What would you say to someone who said that the core idea of your campaign is appealing to fearful, anxious, white Americans and encouraging the belief that their problems are because of people who look different than them and have different features than them,” Harwood asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” Trump said. “You know, my audiences are very– many, many blacks.”
Trump referenced a poll that claims to have him lead with African-Americans by about 25%, which is double the usual number of black voters who support Republicans.
“I had a poll come out the other day where I was 25 percent approval rating from the blacks as a Republican, which is the highest they have ever recorded,” Trump said. “Usually, it’s about 7 percent. In fact, they said if the election were held and you got 25% of the black vote, like in this poll, the election is over. You win.”
When Harwood asked if his campaign was fueled by the current state of racial tensions in America, Trump stayed the course.
“I don’t think so,” Trump said. “I don’t want it to be and I don’t think it is.”
Watch the exchange below.
https://player.cnbc.com/p/gZWlPC/cnbc_global?playertype=synd&byGuid=3000427676&size=640_360