Kanye West Gets It, Why Don't You?

By Mieka Strawhorn | Politics | April 29, 2018 |

By Mieka Strawhorn | Politics | April 29, 2018 |

Last night while Michelle Wolf was busy complimenting Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ skill with a smokey eye, Donald Trump was in Michigan invoking the name of Kanye West during a speech about his infernal wall. I guess in lieu of any high profile Latinx supporters, Kanye’s blackness is “close enough” for Donny to qualify him as a proxy for all non-whites. As a result, Donny said “Kanye gets it” in reference to Hispanic unemployment. Does he though? I’m not sure Kanye’s really thought this through.

Here’s Donny at the Michigan rally surrounded by mostly white people who audibly “boo” at the thought of “Hispanics in the audience,” but quickly turn those frowns upside down at the mention of Kanye, like he’s some sort of folk hero. There goes Kanye Appleseed, skipping across the land convincing uppity blacks that things are gonna be great again if we just put our heads down and quit complainin’!

TRUMP: Are there any Hispanics in the room?

[crowd boos]

TRUMP: Not so many? That's okay… and in fairness, Kanye West gets it! pic.twitter.com/CegLcNzDXy

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2018

But that’s just the latest. As soon as Kanye tweeted out his autographed MAGA hat earlier this week, Donny has been using his support to absolve himself of actually having to support or address the black community himself.

my MAGA hat is signed 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/DrDHJybS8V

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018

Kanye West has performed a great service to the Black Community - Big things are happening and eyes are being opened for the first time in Decades - Legacy Stuff! Thank you also to Chance and Dr. Darrell Scott, they really get it (lowest Black & Hispanic unemployment in history).

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2018

What’s the great service that Kanye has performed? Supporting Trump! Kanye’s on The Trump Train and there’s still a few seats left in the back for the rest of you!

What was that Michelle Wolf joke last night? What’s Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Let me workshop this real quick to fit this scenario: What’s a word for a black person who disappoints other black people by aligning themselves with powerful white people and allows their support to be used as a bludgeon to further marginalize black and brown people? I’d say an Uncle Tom but that’s not strong enough. Oh I know, an Uncle Kanye!