Rapper 50 Cent said he sees Black men “identifying” with former President Trump in November’s presidential election.
50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump to meet with Republican and Democrat lawmakers. CBS News correspondent Nikole Killion asked him about the “significance of African American men” in the upcoming presidential election.
“I see them identifying with Trump,” he told Killion.
When asked why he believed that, 50 Cent said, “Because they got RICO charges.”
When asked if he had made his choice, he also said he had not yet decided who to support in November’s election. He previously signaled support for Trump in the 2020 election but later appeared to walk back his endorsement.
50 Cent appeared to be referring to Trump’s charges in the Georgia election interference case. The former president is charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act for allegedly participating in a scheme to undermine the state’s 2020 election results and stay in office.
The federal RICO Act was enacted in 1970 to tackle organized crime and to often target the leaders of mobs. The Supreme Court wrote in a 1989 opinion that the law was written “broadly enough to encompass a wide range of criminal activity, taking many different forms and likely to attract a broad array of perpetrators,” The Associated Press noted.
After the federal RICO Act was enacted, states passed their own similar laws.
President Biden’s campaign has been focused on boosting support for his reelection efforts among Black voters in recent months. Black voters were a core part of his 2020 election win, which he hopes to replicate in November.
The Biden campaign launched the “Black Voters for Biden-Harris” initiative late last month, aiming to partner with Black organizations to increase outreach to Black voters ahead of the election.
The Trump campaign is also trying to extend outreach to Black voters by enlisting Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to spearhead the effort.
A poll by The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer last month showed Biden leading Trump among Black voters with 63 percent of support compared to 23 percent for Trump.