To be a Black Republican has to be hard. It’s probably even harder in a city like Atlanta. If you’d like to make it even more difficult, become a Trump supporter and see what happens.
Michael McNeely, an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention, is living that reality. McNeely is probably used to drawing a certain amount of attention–he used to lead the Georgia Black Republican Council. But it seems he got more than he bargained for at a Trump rally in Atlanta.
According to BuzzFeed,when McNeely headed backstage with other GOP leaders, he was stopped at the door and turned away by a Trump campaign staffer who told him there was “no more room for you.”
There was no official explanation for why there was room for everyone else, and so far, no official reason for the ouster has been given. McNeely has declined to comment.
Bruce LeVell of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump did offer one observation.
“Anyone that goes to a Trump rally, I don’t give a damn who you are, if anyone even if looks at you and [the campaign] points their finger, you’re out of there,” he said. “They’re real strict about [acting] if something doesn’t look right. They just make a judgment call.”
Hmmmmm…what could look wrong or out of place for a Republican National Convention delegate at the presumptive nominee’s campaign event?
Trump rallies have gained quite a reputation for being inhospitable to people who look like McNeely. A Liberal America reporter shared what she saw at a Kentucky rally, and a gentleman in Dayton, Ohio chronicled his unpleasant experience for Fusion.net. A few months before McNeely’s ouster, at another rally, Georgia students (who happen to look like McNeely as well) were kicked out.
Donald Trump has not made inroads to “the Blacks” despite his claims of adoration by and for them. If the small number of blacks willing to publicly support him are treated this way, his future prospects don’t seem promising.
Featured image, YouTube screengrab
