(Todd A. Smith)
People can vote for whoever they want to.
That is the American way.
And it definitely should be the way for Black Americans because for so long our ancestors could not vote because of the color of their skin.
But when will some people of color realize that some politicians and political parties have disdain for people who look like them?
As a result, voting for them is voting against yourself, your family and your community.
Therefore, when a politician like President Donald Trump enacts policies that adversely impact Latinos and Haitians, they should not be surprised because the writing was always on the wall.
President Trump infamously said that immigrants from Mexico were rapists and criminals, while alleging that legal Haitian migrants were eating the pets of good White Americans.
At the same time, Trump has welcomed White South Africans with open arms, which obviously proves his immigration policies are based on skin color and not crime or other made-up nonsense.
But some Black men and Latinos believed Trump was a good businessman who would be good for the economy and their personal business.
But as Latino and Haitian migrants hide from deportation, many of those same Trump supporters are realizing what has been clear as day for decades.
Trump is a narcissist.
He is a racist.
He is a criminal.
He is a failed businessman who found some success as a nepo baby whose father got free money from the government to build affordable housing for veterans returning home from World War II.
Trump became a reality television star because he was “broke.”
Television executives concocted an image of a successful business mogul, which he used to launch himself into the White House under the guise that he was some business genius.
But as Black and Brown entrepreneurs see their businesses downsize and go out of business because of his racist immigration policies, no sympathy should go their way because they ignored the pleas from their people to avoid the devastation that his White supremacy movement, disguised as the Make America Great Again movement, was sure to bring to communities of color and poor White communities.
Brandon Caldwell of The Grio reported, “The effects of the Trump Administration’s ending of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants are already starting to affect Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood.
“At eateries such as Chef Creole, a well-established restaurant that famously serves comfort food inspired by traditional Haitian and Bahamian dishes, the end of TPS has led to confusion, with rumors spreading about potential raids and arrests. Wilkinson ‘Ken’ Sejour, who told CBS Evening News that he voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election, says the end of TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians might effectively end his career in the hospitality space…
“Sejour explained that he lost his entire management team at seven different restaurants and will likely have to close two stores…
“According to the State Department, Haiti is among 23 countries on the Do Not Travel list. It is the only Caribbean country to have this distinction at the present time.
“Haiti is not the only country in recent days to see its TPS status revoked. On Friday, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in favor of the Trump Administration to end TPS status for hundreds of South Sudanese nationals.
“In June, the Supreme Court ruled with a 6-3 conservative majority that allowed the Trump administration to strip similar protections from Haitian and Syrian nationals who were in the United States. Other countries that have received the designation that they no longer meet the requirements for TPS status include Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Nepal, Honduras and Burma. All of those designations came under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.”
Sejour said, “People are scared…The end of TPS means for me that my future in the hospitality business is almost gonna be non-existent.”
The entrepreneur said that he voted for Trump because he “sold to me that he was a businessman and that he would make business decisions.”
But Trump’s “business” decisions were never going to be about regular Americans, especially those of a darker hue than White or orange.
Trump’s second term has been great for his businesses, his relatives’ businesses, and those of his billionaire buddies.
But to think that Trump cared about the regular small business owners is asinine, and Sejour should have had enough common sense to realize that, especially after he insulted the Haitian community during a debate with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
People like Sejour who ignored Trump’s racist dog whistles because they saw dollar signs are the reason that people warn people of color never to sell their souls for money.
Now, people like Sejour have less money, and his people have no protections.
Sejour regrets voting for Trump, and that is a start.
But his heartache could have easily been avoided if he paid attention to the racist warning signs.
His business would not have gone through turmoil and downsizing if he had paid attention to Trump’s past behavior.
And the upheaval in Sejour’s life would have been avoided if he had put his people before Trump’s performative posturing.
Some Black and Brown people are starting to admit their mistake in supporting Trump.
But will a large percentage of non-billionaire White people finally come to their senses?
John Gannon, a White male Trump supporter whose Venezuelan fiancée was detained by ICE, now regrets his vote and is pleading with the White House for her release.
But his pain and heartbreak were as predictable as a formulaic Hollywood romantic comedy.
And the only people laughing now are billionaire racist White men like Trump, while other Americans deal with the agony caused by his presidency.
But that is what most Americans wanted based on their vote.
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