Former President Donald Trump drew cheers at a rally on Saturday after touting his endorsement from a "representative of Black Lives Matter" (BLM), despite the activist's disputed affiliation within the decentralized movement.
Trump is currently among the packed field of candidates seeking the GOP nomination for president in 2024. In nationwide polling averages, he has consistently led the crop of candidates by significant margins, regularly garnering around 50 percent support from likely Republican voters, leading many to consider his nomination by the party next year inevitable.
Earlier this week, activist Mark Fisher appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss his endorsement of Trump, with the show touting him as a "BLM leader." During his appearance, Fisher claimed that Trump has done "more for the Black community than any president I can think of in my lifetime" and decried the Democratic Party as "racist."
BLM is a decentralized social movement focused on racism and other issues faced by Black Americans that has been more often associated with progressive politics, rather than the socially conservative policies embraced by Trump. While decentralized, the movement is represented by various prominent organizations at the national and state level, many of which have dismissed Fisher's involvement with them and called his endorsement a "publicity stunt."
Black Lives Matter of Rhode Island, which Fisher has touted his involvement in, told Newsweek in a statement that he was "no longer associated" with the group. Fisher is also the founder of an organization in Maryland called "BLM Inc."
On Saturday, Trump spoke at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he touted Fisher's endorsement, drawing cheers from the crowd of supporters.
"Did you see where a very respected representative of Black Lives Matter, new England?" Trump asked. "New England endorsed Trump, he said. He didn't necessarily say the Republican Party, he said Trump because what we have done in terms of opportunity zones, and jobs and jobs, historically, if you look at the black colleges and universities, 10 year funding."
In a joint statement, BLM Rhode Island and the BLM Rhode Island Political Action Committee denounced Fisher as an "imposter." When reached for comment on the matter by Newsweek, the national arm of the BLM movement also highlighted the joint statement, which also included language condemning Trump as "a terrorist who committed treason and tried to subvert American democracy" and "no friend to Black people seeking to live in a just society."
"This is a publicity stunt," the statement read. "The right-wing continues to use and amplify fringe Black voices to create an idea of broad support for their corrupt candidates."
It added: "Continuing to call Mark Fisher a Black Lives Matter leader is disingenuous and inappropriate. Both the founder of BLM Rhode Island and BLM Rhode Island PAC have denounced Mark and have made it clear that he is an imposter."
Updated 12/4/23, 4:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect a response provided by the national BLM organization.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
