Faked images of black voters with Trump are a growing disinformation trend in the US election, the BBC finds.

BBC Panorama discovered dozens of deepfakes portraying black people as supporting the former president.

Mr Trump has openly courted black voters, who were key to Joe Biden’s election win in 2020.

But there’s no evidence directly linking these images to Mr Trump’s campaign.

The co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a group which encourages black people to vote, said the manipulated images were pushing a “strategic narrative” designed to show Mr Trump as popular in the black community.

A creator of one of the images told the BBC: “I’m not claiming it’s accurate.”

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
    527·
    8 months ago

    I’m not too worried. I think that we have already established, if you’re not voting for Joe Biden then You Ain’t Black.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      22·
      8 months ago

      Which do you think bothers black people more: That statement or Trump still claiming the Central Park Five are guilty?

      How about Trump’s recent speech to so-called Black Republicans (Kimmel showed the audience was a sea of white faces): “I can only see black.” “Black is my favorite color.” “I’m just rapping to you.” Do you think that would make black people “love him” like he claims and how they wear his mugshot shirt because they are treated unfairly by the law just like him?

      Do you think any of that would make most black people want to vote for Trump?

      Because last time, Biden won despite having said that back in 2020. Probably, in part, because he apologized.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
        123·
        8 months ago

        Which do you think bothers black people more: That statement or Trump still claiming the Central Park Five are guilty?

        Depends on how heavily the “Central Park Five” story is circulated in the voting community. I might note that Joe Biden was such a close friend with Strom Thurmond, during his career, that he ended up giving the guy’s eulogy. That did not seem to impact his nomination to the VP slot under the first black president nor deter South Carolina party leaders from endorsing him in 2020.

        Do you think any of that would make most black people want to vote for Trump?

        I think both of these guys are dogshit when it comes to civil rights and economic prospects. Biden sponsored the (Anti-)Bankruptcy Bill of 2005, which was responsible for a more through destruction of black wealth than anything Trump managed to sign. Trump killed more black residents with his COVID response than any President in history. They’re both absolutely awful.

        Probably, in part, because he apologized.

        These assholes will say anything to get elected. The best thing that you can say about Biden is that his base does have enough progressive advocates that they do pull him away from the worst bits of policy. Trump’s all gas and no brakes, hard right.

        But as individuals, they’re uniformly foul and awful candidates who will do nothing good for sharecroppers in Alabama or industry workers in Georgia or pregnant women in Texas.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
          18·
          8 months ago

          Sorry, are you claiming that apologizing and not apologizing are the same thing?

          And that black people in general aren’t aware of the Central Park Five and Trump’s involvement?

          And that saying things like “black is my favorite color” to a group of black people won’t be seen as a racist pandering in a way only a racist could think of pandering?

          And that claiming the legal issues black people are oppressed with are the same as him getting tried for trying to steal the election, committing fraud, defamation, etc.?

          But sure, black people will definitely vote for Trump because of what Biden said and apologized for in 2020. That’s why 87% of black voters voted for Biden last time.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
            13·
            8 months ago

            https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/26/trump-black-voters/

            Data from Gallup, though, shows that the margin by which Black and Hispanic Americans prefer Democrats has shrunk since 2020. During Barack Obama’s presidency, Black Americans were 71 points more likely to identify as Democrats, according to Gallup’s annual data. During Trump’s presidency, the gap was 66 points. Since then, the average has been only 55 points, including a 47-point gap in 2023. Among Hispanics, the 30-point Democratic advantage during Trump’s presidency has become a 20-point edge.