Donald Trump’s failed attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election consistently questioned the legitimacy of votes in U.S. Cities with large Black populations.
In a now-deleted social media post, Trump shared a video rehashing his election claims and depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, a post initially defended by the White House before being removed following public criticism.
The Historical Context of Disenfranchisement
The NAACP recognized a pattern of targeting Black voters in a lawsuit against Trump for violating the Ku Klux Klan Act, stating that efforts to disenfranchise voters in cities like Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Atlanta “repeat the worst abuses in our nation’s history, where Black Americans were denied a voice in American democracy for most of the first two centuries of the Republic.”
At least five lawsuits accused Trump of violating the KKK Act after the 2020 election, with three still surviving dismissal. Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment against Trump included a charge of criminal conspiracy against rights under the Klan Act, alleging Trump “did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with co-conspirators…to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate one or more persons…in the free exercise…of the right to vote.”
Targeting Georgia Election Workers
The racism embedded in Trump’s strategy was evident in the targeting of Georgia election workers Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and Ruby Freeman. Rudy Giuliani’s campaign against them relied on racist stereotypes, falsely accusing them of illicit activity whereas counting ballots.
Moss testified before Congress that she received numerous threats, including references to lynching: “Telling me that I’ll be in jail with my mother and saying things like, ‘Be glad it’s 2020 and not 1920.’” She also expressed fear that those sending threats would “hang me and my mom.”
A jury initially awarded Moss and Freeman $148 million, later reduced to $146 million, and Giuliani subsequently reached a settlement with the two women.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the basis of the NAACP’s lawsuit against Donald Trump?
The NAACP sued Trump for violating the Ku Klux Klan Act, arguing that his efforts to disenfranchise voters in cities with large Black populations mirrored historical abuses against Black Americans.
What specific accusations did Rudy Giuliani make against Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman?
Giuliani falsely accused Moss and Freeman of engaging in voter fraud, including claims about passing USB drives “like vials of heroin or cocaine.”
What was the outcome of the defamation lawsuit brought by Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman?
A jury awarded Moss and Freeman $148 million in damages, which was later reduced to $146 million, and Giuliani eventually reached a settlement with them.
What responsibility do leaders have to ensure their rhetoric does not incite violence or undermine faith in democratic institutions?
