Donald Trump’s latest attempt at astroturfing has just exploded in his face. On Friday, Trump blasted out a press release claiming that several prominent black pastors are poised to endorse him on Monday. But it turns out that they were just going to meet with him. Moreover, several of those pastors let it be known that they aren’t willing to endorse Trump’s bid to buy the presidency.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that some 100 black pastors and religious leaders would meet with him at his Manhattan headquarters on Monday, after which they would formally endorse his candidacy. However, veteran journalist Roland Martin didn’t think this announcement passed the smell test. It’s easy to tell why. As we all know, Trump’s rallies have frequently played host to some of the most blatant racism ever seen in recent memory on the campaign trail. Most recently, several pro-Trump thugs brutally attacked a Black Lives Matter activist at a rally in Birmingham.
By Friday afternoon, Martin was able to report that Trump was blowing smoke.
Folks, I’ve seen this game before. This so-called Black clergy meeting with @realDonaldTrump is a fraud. Some folks are getting played.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 27, 2015
Folks, I have been sick as a dog, but that don’t mean I can’t work the phones. This @realDonaldTrump & Black clergy thing is a ruse.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 27, 2015
I’ve been calling and reaching out to different pastors. Guess what? No one can even provide a list of the 100 pastors.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 27, 2015
Let me be real clear: I have NO ISSUES with any Black pastors meeting with any presidential candidate, or endorsing.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 27, 2015
But as an experienced journalist, this story smelled rotten from the moment I first heard of it. So I chose to make some calls, not assume.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 27, 2015
Martin was able to track down a flyer announcing the supposed endorsement. Reportedly, it’s being organized by Darrell Scott, the pastor of New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland. Scott is a registered Democrat who supported Obama in both 2008 and 2012, but told The New York Times that he liked Trump’s economic policy and was impressed by how Trump seemed to be a leader. He also didn’t see any signs of racism.
Martin found two red flags on the flyer. First, only 15 pastors were listed–not the hundred or so that Trump claimed. Second, the endorsement ceremony is supposedly being carried on the Now Network, a small Christian network that is only available on Roku. To Martin, this was the brightest red flag of all.
Just look at the flyer. This meeting with @realDonaldTrump is going to be carried live on a faith-based network no one has ever heard of?
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 27, 2015
Use common sense: if this was a real endorsement gathering, do you think it would be carried on a Roku network channel? Was always fishy.
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) November 27, 2015
To add insult to injury, several of the pastors listed on the flyer have stated they’re not endorsing Trump, or they’re skipping the meeting altogether. The first “nyet” came from the biggest name on the list, gospel singer Hezekiah Walker. In an Instagram post, Walker, who also pastors a megachurch in Brooklyn, said that he had originally wanted to talk with Trump about several racially inflammatory statements from Trump. However, Walker said that he was not willing to be part of “a sideshow.”
Then came Corletta Vaughn of Holy Spirit Cathedral of Faith in Detroit, who said she wasn’t going to the meeting because “I neither support nor endorse Mr. Trump.” She went on to call him “an insult and an embarrassment.” Clarence McClendon of Full Harvest International Church in Los Angeles was even more blunt, saying that any endorsement that comes from him won’t come through “pulpitting courtjesters.” Paul Morton, founder of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, was equally outraged.
I was asked 2 meet with Mr Trump too but I refused because until he learns how to respect people you can't represent me thru my endorsement
— Bishop Paul S Morton (@BishopPMorton) November 27, 2015
Scott himself seemed blindsided by the release, saying that he understood he and his fellow pastors were only meeting with Trump, not endorsing him. Looks like Scott got a lovely preview of how much of a leader Trump really is.
By Sunday, Trump was in full retreat. His campaign announced on Sunday afternoon that there wouldn’t be a press conference after all, but a “private meeting” after which some of those in attendance were expected to endorse Trump. Now that they’ve seen how Trump operates, I’ll be surprised if anyone bothers to attend at all–let alone endorse him.
