Donald Trump on Tuesday said Black and Hispanic Americans who aren’t going to vote for him in the presidential election should have their heads examined.
Speaking at a rally in Atlanta, the former president made the comment while claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris had permitted a “migrant invasion.”
“The African American community and the Hispanic community is being devastated with jobs,” the Republican nominee said, echoing his previous rhetoric about immigration leading to a loss of what he’s described as “Black jobs.”
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“Any African American or Hispanic—and you know how well I’m doing there—that votes for Kamala, you gotta have your head examined,” Trump said. “Because they are really screwing you.”
His remarks come after he made similar claims about Jews on the campaign trail, repeatedly saying that any Jewish voters who support Harris should have their “head examined.” At the same time, Trump has publicly claimed that “the Jewish people” would be partly responsible if he doesn’t win the election, suggesting Democrats have a “hold, or curse” on Jews.
Less than three weeks from the Nov. 5 general election, Trump has seen promising polling—for a Republican, that is—among the historically Democratic-leaning Black and Latino communities.
A recent New York Times/Siena College poll of Black likely voters found that 78 percent intended to vote for Harris, as opposed to the 90 percent and 92 percent estimated to have voted for the Democratic nominee in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
Harris’ share was still an uptick from the 74 percent support President Joe Biden polled before he dropped out of the race in June.
An NBC poll last month found that Harris’ lead among Latino voters versus Trump had fallen to a 12-year low for Democratic presidential candidates.
Among registered Latino voters, 54 percent said they were voting for Harris, as opposed to 40 for Trump.
Earlier this week, former President Barack Obama, who is campaigning for Harris, made headlines when he urged Black men to vote for the vice president, who would be the first Black woman president.
“We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,” he said. “You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses. I’ve got a problem with that.”
