HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Raymond Arroyo attends 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
Whew! Black Twitter (now known as X) is collectively dragging Fox News host Raymond Arroyo for his recent arguably racist comments. During a four-person discussion, Arroyo suggested Black voters will support Donald Trump solely because of his recent sneaker drop.
If you’re just catching up, the former president was trending earlier this week after releasing a pair of shiny gold hi-top sneakers. Trump priced the limited-edition ‘Never Surrender High-Tops’ at $399 each. He sold them on an independent website with other Trump-branded products, such as cologne and perfume, after promoting them at Sneaker Con this past weekend. They are now sold out, per Newsweek.
Raymond, though, is under fire for his baseless connection between Black people’s support and Trump’s sneakers.
“Even the sneaker thing. I was on social media last night, very interesting as you see Black support eroding from Joe Biden. This is connecting with Black America because they love sneakers, they’re into sneakers. This is a big deal, certainly in the inner city. So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this is cool.’ He’s reaching them on a level that defies and is above politics. The culture always trumps politics. And Trump understands culture like no other politician I’ve ever seen.”
When panelist Tomi Lahren asked if the sneaker frenzy might lead to actual votes in the upcoming presidential election, the news host seemed to suggest it would.
“Anybody willing to put $400 bucks down for a pair of sneakers, yeah I think that’s commitment and love. It’s something…it’s affection.”
Watch Raymond’s comments below.
Trump’s sneaker launch reportedly comes after a judge ordered him to pay $355 million in penalties. A judge found that Donald lied about his wealth for years, committing fraud by inflating his wealth on financial statements. The former president and his “company and executives, including his two eldest sons” are accused of “scheming to dupe banks, insurers and others,” per AP.
Meanwhile, as mentioned, over on X and other platforms, folks have plenty to say about the Fox News host’s comments. And while some are definitely dragged him by the little hair on his scalp, others are kinda-sorta agreeing with the basis of his comments.
Keep scrolling to see some of the reactions.
