Donald Trump Embracing Black Lives Matter Stuns Republicans

Former President Donald Trump has welcomed an endorsement from a Black Lives Matter (BLM) advocate with open arms, despite previously describing the social movement as "a symbol of hate."

Rhode Island BLM activist Mark Fisher made national headlines earlier this week after naming Trump as his top choice for the 2024 election during an interview on Fox News. Fisher had described himself as a leader and co-founder of the organization Black Lives Matter of Rhode Island, although a spokesperson for the group told Newsweek on Wednesday that Fisher is "no longer affiliated with BLM RI."

Trump celebrated the endorsement in a post to Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon, calling Fisher "a great guy" and stating he was "very honored to have his and BLM's support."

"I have done more for Black people than any other President (Lincoln?), including 10 year funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, where they had none, Opportunity Zones, Criminal Justice Reform, and much more," Trump added. "Thank you to Mark!"

Trump's post sparked backlash from several Republicans online, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who often polls as Trump's closest competitor for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

"BLM praising Donald Trump — and Trump celebrating it — makes perfect sense," DeSantis wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter. "When BLM was burning down cities and assaulting police officers in cities across this country, Trump did nothing but sit in the White House tweeting 'LAW & ORDER!'"

"We did it differently in Florida," he continued. "I didn't just tweet. I took action and called up the National Guard. We were not going to let our cities burn. As President, I will not sit idly by and watch rioters torch American cities."

Supporters of DeSantis' campaign also rushed to criticize the former president, including DeSantis' press secretary, Bryan Griffin, who wrote in a post Thursday morning that Trump's praise for BLM is a sign he would "make the same mistakes all over again" if elected to the White House for a second term.

"BLM burned our cities, vilified police, and pitted the country against itself," Griffin wrote to X. "Yet it only takes a few nice words for Trump to let destructive entities like BLM back into his orbit and good graces. Trump would make the same mistakes all over again."

American actor and conservative Matthew Marsden echoed in a post to X that Trump's acceptance of Fisher's support, and his subsequent praise of BLM, was a "massive error in judgment" on the former president's part.

"Any Trump supporters who are trying to justify it are doing the movement an injustice," Marsden added. "He is not a God. This is another mistake. It's okay to say that. If it was DeSantis, you would crucify him for it. Can we hold all our politicians accountable, please? Even the ones we will be voting for?"

Other users pointed out that Trump's endorsement from Fisher meant little in terms of BLM's pick for president next fall. The Providence Journal reported Wednesday that BLM Rhode Island's current head, Gary Dantzler, said that Fisher was never a leader or co-founder of the organization, and instead described him as an "advocate" of the group.

"Trump was not endorsed by BLM," Jeremy Boreing, CEO of the conservative site The Daily Wire, wrote on X on Thursday morning. "He was endorsed by a guy who clearly disagrees with the broader BLM movement."

"But Trump did legitimize BLM by thanking them for their support - which they did not give," Boreing continued. "Might have been a funny troll in a general. In a primary, it's a gift to Trump's opponents - opponents rightly angry that as President he let BLM burn the country to the ground while also letting the rest of us get locked in our homes for a year as the elite subverted our economy and election processes."

BLM's official X account also dismissed Fisher's so-called endorsement, writing in a post Wednesday: "To be clear, Donald Trump is a terrorist who committed treason and tried to subvert American democracy. He is no friend to Black people seeking to live in a just society. And we in NO WAY support him."

The BLM movement, a decentralized social movement that often focused on racism and other issues faced by Black Americans, gained momentum in the summer of 2020, sparking massive protests across the U.S. against police brutality. Trump, who was running for reelection at the time, repeatedly ridiculed the movement, including telling supporters in September 2020 that BLM was "destroying many Black lives."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's press team for comment via email.