Trump Leans into Rebel Persona, Appears with Rappers in the Bronx

(RepublicanNews.org) – Former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in the Bronx last week, a move he used not only to appeal to local voters in New York City but also to send a message to the black and Hispanic American communities at large that he hears them. One of his strategies has been associating with rappers.

On Thursday, May 23rd, the former president held a large rally in the New York City borough of the Bronx at Crotona Park where he spoke to a few thousand people in an area where his critics thought he would draw no support. Although accused of exaggerating the numbers, the turn-out certainly turned some heads and drew snarky comments from political enemies downplaying the rally, such as Alexandria Ocazio-Cortez, who serves in a nearby district. Trump accused “most of the media” of not covering the event, one that he described as “big, important, and even startling.”

Trump’s support has been growing among male black voters, and he leaned into it by going to the Bronx. Among the guests accompanying the former president on stage were 25-year-old Michael Williams, a rapper who goes by the name Sheff G and has millions of views and streams on YouTube and Spotify; and 24-year-old Tegan Chambers, who goes by the rap name Sleepy Hallow, drawing an audience of 11 million listeners every month on Spotify.

Hallow is currently facing conspiracy charges in a case related to gang activity, and Williams is a central figure in that same case, which was unveiled by the Brooklyn District Attorney last year while Williams was already serving a sentence for a separate incident for illegal gun possession.

The presence of the rappers comes at a time when the presumptive Republican nominee faces legal battles of his own as he stands trial for criminal charges in the Stormy Daniels hush money case against him in New York. Trump has stood his ground against all charges and slammed everyone from the judge to the Manhattan district attorney prosecuting him. The former president accused District Attorney Alvin Bragg of “letting crime run rampant” throughout his district while participating in what Trump typically describes as a “witch hunt” against him.

The rappers spoke and stood by Trump for supporting them even during their times of failure. Williams told the crowd that while some “whisper your accomplishments” and “shout your failures,” Trump will “shout the wins” for everyone.

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