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Rise of Donald Trump Divides Black Celebrities He Calls His Friends
New York Times ^ | 12/21/2015 | By MAGGIE HABERMAN and STEVE EDER

Posted on 12/21/2015 1:04:24 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Not long ago, Donald J. Trump and Russell Simmons were close.

The hip-hop mogul and his brother Rev. Run would fly on Mr. Trump's private plane to Mar-a-Lago, the real estate developer’s lavish Florida resort. Mr. Simmons even had a playful nickname for Mr. Trump: Richie Rich.

When Mr. Simmons was going through a divorce, Mr. Trump's teasing phone calls lifted his spirits.

"He'd say funny stuff," Mr. Simmons said, adding that he had put Mr. Trump on speakerphone so that others could hear Mr. Trump's jovial taunts about his ex-wife getting the upper hand in the divorce. "He'd say, 'Oh, she killed you.' "

But the bond between the two men came apart this month: After Mr. Trump called for Muslims to be barred from entering the United States, Mr. Simmons denounced his onetime friend, telling him in an open letter to "stop fueling fires of hate."

Mr. Trump's rise in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination -- which has also prompted accusations that he is using racially charged rhetoric and has drawn comparisons to the segregationist George Wallace -- has created some discord among African-American celebrities whom Mr. Trump has called friends. The billionaire developer has long courted personalities from the worlds of sports and entertainment, including the boxer Mike Tyson, the former Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman, and the rapper and producer Sean Combs -- and he has made them part of his world in strikingly personal ways.

Some of Mr. Trump's African-American friends and acquaintances say they are mystified by the candidate's sweeping attacks on minority groups. In addition to his comments about Muslims, he has said Mexico sends "rapists" and other criminals to the United States; has exaggerated the role of blacks in violent crime;

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 2016election; blacks; demagogicparty; election2016; elections; immigration; jobs; maggiehaberman; memebuilding; newyork; newyorkcity; newyorkslimes; newyorktimes; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; steveeder; trump; trumpwasright
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1 posted on 12/21/2015 1:04:24 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Mr. Trump with Mike Tyson in 1988. Mr. Tyson, who is Muslim, recently defended the candidate.
2 posted on 12/21/2015 1:05:23 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

From left: Donald J. Trump, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the boxing promoter Don King in 2005. "To me, Donald is Donald," Mr. King said recently. "That’s not a presidential endorsement, but it is a humanistic endorsement."
3 posted on 12/21/2015 1:08:22 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

NY Slimes dividing people by the color of their skin again.


4 posted on 12/21/2015 1:10:50 PM PST by conservative98
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To: SeekAndFind

NY Slimes dividing people by the color of their skin again.


5 posted on 12/21/2015 1:10:55 PM PST by conservative98
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To: SeekAndFind

Superficial pop culture helped create this guy. Sure, he took the multi-millions he inherited from dad and went on to use crony capitalistic connections with the Democrat party to become a billionaire. But at the end of the day, there are many rich real estate developers richer than even THE DONALD. Trump is a candidate today because of his comfort with tawdry pop culture. Think about and his many donations to Democrats when he tries to split the conservative vote and claim he’s really been with us all along. He’s as faithful to us as his vows to his three wives.


6 posted on 12/21/2015 1:11:27 PM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution. Go Cruz.)
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To: SeekAndFind

This is an insult to American blacks. They’re basically being equated with foreign Muslims and foreign Mexicans.


7 posted on 12/21/2015 1:11:49 PM PST by nhwingut (Trump-Cruz 2016 - Blow Up The GOP)
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To: SeekAndFind

What sweeping attacks?
He called for a pause on non-citizen Muslim entry until we could “figure out what the hell is going on” and he said that we should build a wall because the Mexican govt is urging their rapists to go north so they needn’t foot the cost of their imprisonment and clearly turning a blind eye to the armed drug militia operations within Mexico targeting the USA’s young people. It’s not like those limited scenarios aren’t factual. If that’s racism then I’m a racist too.


8 posted on 12/21/2015 1:12:11 PM PST by major-pelham
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To: conservative98

Is that like dividing by zero? [pun intended]


9 posted on 12/21/2015 1:13:10 PM PST by sparklite2 (Islam = all bathwater, no baby.)
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To: SeekAndFind

“Muslim,” isn’t a “race.”


10 posted on 12/21/2015 1:14:57 PM PST by ConservativeMind ("Humane" = "Don't pen up pets or eat meat, but allow infanticide, abortion, and euthanasia.")
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To: SeekAndFind
Let's see:

All in the space of 24 hours.

I guess the decision to play The Race Card wasn't made until AFTER Trump kicked Georgie Dwarfanopoulus' @ss yesterday, and tossed the little overpaid dwarf face-first into the just-the-facts wall.

11 posted on 12/21/2015 1:14:59 PM PST by kiryandil ("When Muslims in the White House are outlawed, only Barack Obama will be an outlaw")
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To: elhombrelibre
"Superficial pop culture helped create this guy. Sure, he took the multi-millions he inherited from dad and went on to use crony capitalistic connections with the Democrat party to become a billionaire" And I swear some conservatives seriously think that they believe in the greatness of American and Americans to do great things because this nation affords the opportunity. Nah. If you are the "wrong person" then your success is based on .
12 posted on 12/21/2015 1:15:32 PM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: VanDeKoik

“Superficial pop culture helped create this guy. Sure, he took the multi-millions he inherited from dad and went on to use crony capitalistic connections with the Democrat party to become a billionaire”

And I swear some conservatives seriously think that they believe in the greatness of American and Americans to do great things because this nation affords the opportunity.

Nah. If you are the “wrong person” then your success is based on (insert leftist rhetoric here).


13 posted on 12/21/2015 1:16:21 PM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: SeekAndFind

This is why Trump is a huge gamble. He keeps suspect company and has a lot of leftist in him. I don’t trust him.

I’m going for Cruz


14 posted on 12/21/2015 1:16:40 PM PST by Angels27
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To: SeekAndFind

NYT’s trying to make me believe they would vote for anyone with a R next to their name? Never gonna happen.


15 posted on 12/21/2015 1:16:46 PM PST by ColdOne (I miss my poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11 HillaryForPrison2016)
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To: SeekAndFind

Like some Jews, most Blacks see voting Democrat as compulsory. Sad but true. But I’d bet Trump has more Black friends and political supporters than the media wants to admit.


16 posted on 12/21/2015 1:16:55 PM PST by jmaroneps37 (Conservatism is truth. Liberalism is lies.)
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To: Angels27

I’m with you!


17 posted on 12/21/2015 1:23:46 PM PST by basil ( God bless the USA! AMEN!u)
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To: SeekAndFind

God bless Donald Trump!
I’m going with him!


18 posted on 12/21/2015 1:29:07 PM PST by Guenevere (If.the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do....)
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To: kiryandil
decision to play The Race Card

My reading on this is that the rats just got some new polling data showing The Donald gaining strength among blacks. This of course sent them into sheer panic.

Hence the coordinated playing of The Race Card.

19 posted on 12/21/2015 1:31:40 PM PST by rhinohunter (The Uniparty FEARS Trump -- but it HATES Cruz)
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To: elhombrelibre
Stop thinking critically.

Just feel the excitement, join the crowd, repeat the slogans!

Being a conservative is all about feelings and popularity, not logic and first principles.

20 posted on 12/21/2015 1:36:46 PM PST by wideawake
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