‘An Embarrassment’: GOP Rep. John James Ripped Apart Online for ‘You Ain’t Black’ Joke That Drew Cheers from Mostly White RNC Crowd
Republican Congressman John James of Michigan, among the few Black voices to kick off the Republican National Convention on Monday, sparked a firestorm of controversy after stating, ‘If you don’t vote for Donald Trump, you ain’t Black” — parroting a crude joke made by Joe Biden during his presidential campaign four years ago.
James’ remarks came two days after former President Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a campaign speech in Pennsylvania, where a sniper’s bullet grazed the Republican nominee’s right ear.
However, Trump’s near-death experience was quickly overshadowed as social media users turned their wrath to the inflammatory comments by James — which referenced Biden’s tone-deaf remarks during a 2020 interview on Charlamagne Tha God’s radio show, where the Democratic front-runner quipped, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”
While the mostly white audience at the convention laughed and applauded James’ cheap shot, the joke fell flat on the platform X.
“Rep John James from Michigan is an embarrassment,” magazine editor Francine Bosco posted to X during his speech.
Another X influencer, Todd Adams, compared James’ speech to “a Saturday Night Live skit.”
Author Anthony Tilghman shared a video snippet of the moment when James told the joke and pointed out that it didn’t make sense for the speaker to use the quip because the audience was mostly white.
Mocking James in the accompanying video, Tilghman wrote:
“Rep. John James: ‘I heard earlier today if you don’t vote for Donald Trump, you’re ain’t Black.’
‘Camera pans the crowd & couldn’t find any Black People.’
‘When you realize they not laughing with you.’”
Some X users took a brutally honest stance on James for his controversial remarks.
“They really got one token Black man up there and the all white audience didn’t even get his delivery,” wrote @mrdrizzy22.
Back in 2020, Biden was forced to apologize after his comments went viral, sparking a tense backlash over a racially sensitive issue as Election Day approached.
Now, with the hotly anticipated rematch just months away, Republicans have been claiming that Trump has gained more support among Black voters, pointing to a Wall Street Journal poll in March, which indicated about 30 percent of Black men in seven battleground states leaning toward Trump in 2024.
More recently, however, Trump’s efforts to gain majority support from Black and Hispanic voters have come up short, according to AP analysis of two AP-NORC polls, which shows 70 percent of Black voters and half of Latino voters have an unfavorable view of Trump, though his favorability has slightly improved since he left office.
About 40 percent of Hispanic voters view Trump positively, up from 30 percent in January 2021, and 70 percent of Black voters view him unfavorably, down from 90 percent in 2021.
Despite this, polls indicate that Trump is still less favored than Biden among Black voters, though he is tied with Biden among Hispanic voters.
Trump’s unpopularity is attributed to his history of racist language, but his populist economic message is resonating with a small but growing number of working-class Black and Latino men, according to polling data from Axios.
Later in his speech, James sought to align himself with Trump as a way to signal broader support for Trump within the Black community, aiming to win favor with one of the nation’s most critical voting blocs.
James drew a parallel between his military service and Trump’s survival, saying, “That’s something else me and President Trump have in common: The bad guys shot at us both, but they missed.”
Another notable figure making waves at the convention was 40-year-old celebrity Amber Rose, who also caused a stir on social media by endorsing Trump. Her sudden and astonishing about-face on the Republican candidate comes after she slammed Trump in 2016 when she famously said, “He’s just such an idiot. He’s so weird. I really hope he’s not president.”
On Monday night, however, she appeared with a noticeably dark tan, a departure from her Scot-Irish heritage, while she was singing an entirely different tune on Trump.
“I’m no politician and I don’t want to be, but I do care about the truth, and the truth is that the media has lied to us about Donald Trump,” Rose said to wild cheers. “I know this because, for a long time, I believed those lies, so I’m here to set the record straight.”
Republicans widely praised Rose for her reversal, but Democratic operatives wasted no time pouncing on the contradiction.
“Amber Rose tap danced for MAGA just now at the RNC Convention. She completely played herself,” wrote user @flywithkamala.
Later in the evening, in his first public appearance since the assassination attempt, Trump made a raucous entry at the convention with a bandage covering his wounded ear.
Trump appeared emotional after announcing his new running mate, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
The speakers for the next three days have not been announced, though Vance is expected to speak on the second-to-last night, and Trump was scheduled to deliver the keynote address on Thursday.
Another Black Republican, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, also mentioned the attempted assassination to rally support for Trump.”The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, but the American lion got back up on his feet,” he said.
“The Braveheart of our time, Donald J. Trump,” added Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina, also a Black Republican.