Malcolm X might be the last historical figure to come to mind as it relates to the politics of Republican Party presidential hopeful, Donald Trump. However, a Black conservative evoked one of Malcolm X’s most famous quotes regarding “House Negroes” and “Field Negroes,” saying that those in the field are “going for Trump.”
Shelly Wynter, who refers to himself as a Traditionalist conservative, was a guest on CNN this week with anchor Sara Sidner and were having a discussion about the upcoming election race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Wynter referenced Malcolm X’s famous 1963 speech in which the civil rights leader presented a comparison of two types of so-called Negroes, a widely used term at the time to describe Black people in America. In the speech, X lays out that the house Negro was partial to the slave owner and wanted his favor, while the field Negro held the slave owner in contempt.
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Wynter, perhaps misunderstanding or misrepresenting X’s quotes, shocked the CNN panel by saying that the “field African American” to use his words would pull the lever for Trump.
“Let’s be honest here, and let’s really be clear what’s being said,” Wynter began in the now viral c. “If you’re an African American man, look, let me boil this election down in the African American community to a very simple [way]. I’ll reference the great Malcolm X. This race is between house African Americans and field African Americans, and a field African Americans going for Trump.”
Wynter added, “I’m talking about your men who build, your men who put things together, your men who work with their hands, your men who do things, not the men who push paper or the men are connected to power and want to continue to be connected to power, I’m talking about the men in our community who are doing the work.”
Sidner was taken aback by Wynter’s analysis and attempted to offer some pushback but was met with overtalking with Wynter deftly evading her question asking if he was putting down Black men with white-collar professions. Michael Blake, the former DNC Vice Chair and an aide to President Barack Obama, didn’t allow Wynter to own the moment and challenged his assertions.
“Is Shelley the house one or the field one?” Blake said. “I’m just trying to understand that part, I’m just trying to understand the one that’s spitting talking points right now. Are you the house Negro and the field Negro that you’re referring to? I’m just trying to make sure. Your question was about denigrating Black people, that literally was your question. You have a Republican fool who was talking right now. You literally just said Black men, this is an election about house or field. This is the nonsense that we are listening to right now by those that are supporting Donald Trump.”
The clip is still making its rounds across social media with many sharing their thoughts on why Shelly Wynter used Malcolm X’s speech to hammer his point him. We’ve got the clip in question and responses from the X platform below.
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