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Donald Trump’s approval rating among Black Americans has crept above 20 percent, but let’s not get carried away—it’s still far from mainstream acceptance.
In 2024, Trump secured 16 percent of the Black vote, a record for a Republican since 1976, but still trailing well behind his support from white (56 percent) and Hispanic voters (43 percent). Gains in battleground states were minor, with a 13 percent increase in Wisconsin and a 5 percent uptick in Georgia and North Carolina.
The increase in reported popularity among Black voters in Georgia and North Carolina comes as a surprise after Trump’s recent policies, especially his executive actions targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These states have some of the largest Black populations in the country and are home to many HBCUs—institutions that have historically played a vital role in Black upward mobility.
HBCUs, a pillar of Black education, have also suffered under Trump’s policies. While he initially signed a bill providing long-term funding for HBCUs, his administration later undermined their financial stability by slashing federal grants and research funding that many of these institutions rely on. Additionally, his rollback of DEI programs has made it harder for these schools to secure federal partnerships and corporate sponsorships, further limiting resources for Black students. While Trump’s slight gains among Black men might make headlines, the bigger picture reveals a presidency that has systematically undercut institutions and programs designed to support Black communities in these key battleground states.
Polls paint a mixed picture. YouGov/Economist found 24 percent of Black voters approve of Trump, while 69 percent disapprove. McLaughlin and Associates reported 29 percent approval, and Emerson College showed 23 percent. Meanwhile, a wildly optimistic AtlasIntel poll claimed 69 percent approval—highly suspect given Trump’s history with Black communities. Immigration remains a hot-button issue, but only 30 percent of Black voters approve of Trump’s handling of it, compared to 57 percent of white voters.
Trump’s immigration policies have been particularly harsh on Black and Brown Americans, making the issue a major concern for voters of color. His administration’s strict deportation measures, asylum restrictions, and travel bans disproportionately impact Black immigrants, who often come from African and Caribbean nations. These policies have led to increased detentions and deportations of Black migrants, many of whom already face racial discrimination in the immigration system. Meanwhile, Latino communities have been at the center of Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric, with family separations and border crackdowns creating widespread fear—it’s clear that Trump’s approach remains deeply unpopular among communities that bear the brunt of these policies.
The skepticism isn’t unfounded. Trump has a long track record of racially charged rhetoric and policies—from pushing the birther conspiracy to gutting DEI programs on day one of his presidency. His opposition to initiatives supporting Black communities hasn’t been a selling point. A 2040 Strategy Group poll found that while many Black voters feel Democrats aren’t doing enough, 68 percent want them to focus on protecting DEI from Trump’s attacks.
Yes, Trump has made slight inroads, particularly with younger Black men, but let’s be real—these are ripples, not waves. His policies continue to alienate much of the Black community, and as reality sets in, any gains could prove fleeting. Numbers don’t lie, and for most Black Americans, Trump remains as polarizing as ever.
Members of The Lumineers, Dropkick Murphys, American Authors, Rise Against and Plain White T’s are among the artists taking part in a new Public Service Announcement encouraging people to get ready to vote.
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The #KnowBeforeYouGo campaign is a partnership between talent agency Wasserman and non-partisan, non-profit voter information and registration organization HeadCount.
Other Wasserman music clients taking part in the PSA, which debuts below, include Lisa Loeb, Vincint, A-Trak, Bartees Strange and Ambar Lucid. Additionally, Wasserman sports clients featured in video are Julie Foudy, Jason Collins, Sierra Quitiquit, Weston McKennie, Hilary Knight, Alexander Mattison, Chris Mosier and Lela Rochon.
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The 75-second PSA will air on HeadCount’s YouTube channel, as well as Wasserman and HeadCount’s social media channels and was produced by Wasserman’s creative agency, Laundry Service. In it, the artists and athletes remind voters to check their registration, as well as their options for early voting and vote-by-mail, as well as in person on Nov. 5.
“The #KnowBeforeYouGo campaign brings together iconic figures in music and sports to encourage people to exercise their most precious democratic right: voting,” said Lucille Wenegieme, executive director of HeadCount, in a statement to Billboard. “Through the PSA, we aim to equip voters with the information they need to show up confidently at the polls, helping to create a culture where civic participation is celebrated and valued. Together, Wasserman and HeadCount are inspiring a new generation to make their voices heard every election cycle.”
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Denise Melanson, Wasserman’s vp of social impact, added, “Wasserman and our clients have been working with HeadCount for years through various campaigns and initiatives. When it came time us to establish our own campaign, HeadCount was the obvious choice as a partner. Their passion for civic engagement while harnessing the power of popular culture is synonymous with Wasserman’s mission”
HeadCount has registered more 350,000 people so far during the 2024 election cycle at over 3,000 events and through partnerships with over 100 music artists. For more information, voters can visit headcount.org/wasserman.
Taylor Swift is giving a significant boost to U.S. voter registration. During National Voting Day on Tuesday (Sept. 19), the pop superstar shared a message on Instagram urging her 272 million followers to register to vote through nonpartisan nonprofit Vote.org. The push resulted in more than 35,000 registrations, according to the organization. “I’ve been so […]
Taylor Swift can fill stadiums, is about to flood the zone in movie theaters and, we found out this week, she can also seriously get out the vote. Just days after Swift urged Swifties to register to vote on National Voter Registration Day in an Instagram Story, shocker, they listened and signed up to do […]
John Legend was on hand Friday morning (April 28) to advocate for voter turnout at the second day of Global Citizen Now’s two-day summit for activists and change-makers in New York City.
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In conversation with Tamron Hall in an onstage panel before industry leaders and members of the press, Legend stressed the importance of making voter registration more accessible — or automatic, when possible — and fighting against politicians interfering in the voting process. Having recently become a father of three in January, when he and Chrissy Teigen welcomed their daughter Esti, the “All Of Me” singer said that voting in favor of reproductive healthcare, LGBTQ rights and student debt relief has become increasingly important to him as he hopes to create better circumstances for his kids’ generation.
“I’ve always cared deeply about the future, I’ve always cared deeply about the world we are building for our children,” he said. “But every time I think about all the love we pour into our own kids, and all we want for their future, I think about the parents who don’t have the resources we have.”
“We want a democracy that’s open to everybody and that encourages our leaders to do what’s right because they know they answer to the people,” he continued.
After praising President Biden’s student debt relief efforts and climate action legislation, Legend left off on a challenge: make the 2024 election go down in history for having the highest youth voter turnout ever. “We as young people,” the 44-year-old musician began, before laughing: “I still count myself as young. That’s a stretch…we have to make sure that we are reaching out to our friends and encouraging them to get out and vote.”
Also on the docket for Friday’s event were discussions on climate change, abortion access, protecting protesters in Iraq and Kenya and workplace equality for women. Katie Holmes helped introduce the summit by encouraging viewers to spread awareness of Global Citizen Now’s message via social media, Dawson’s Creek actress Busy Philipps called for more inclusion of reproductive health storylines in entertainment and the reinstatement of Roe v. Wade, and French President Emmanuel Macron joined in via video chat for a conversation on including poor and emerging countries in implementing global sustainability policies, for which he thinks collaboration between China and the U.S. — the No. 1 and No. 2 biggest greenhouse gas emitters, respectively — is essential.
When Morning Joe anchor and guest mediator Joe Scarborough joked during a brief break in the event’s live telecast that “if anyone at MSNBC is listening, we have the president of France so you can stop talking about Tucker Carlson,” Macron, waiting on standby, couldn’t help but let out a genuine laugh. Carlson was recently fired by Fox News, the longtime home of the highly controversial, right-wing program Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Sinan Aral, director of MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy, weighed in during a conversation on the need for ethical regulations in the world of tech, particularly where artificial intelligence is involved. If people were freaking out about the bizarre success of the viral fake Drake and The Weeknd duet earlier this month, Aral says the world isn’t prepared for how “very dangerous” booming AI technology could become if weaponized during upcoming elections.
“The misinformation of the 2020 election is child’s play compared with what is possible for deepfake video and audio,” he said.
See more details about Global Citizen Now here.
As Billboard prepares to unveil its annual Power List in less than a month, ranking the music executives making the biggest impact across an ever-changing industry, we thought we should put some power in the fans’ hands too. Looking back on the past year in music, who is your 2022 Power Artist?
Today, Billboard is launching the brand-new Power Artist 2022 – Fan Choice bracket, in which music listeners pick the music star who made the biggest impact last year. In the bracket below, you can choose between the 32 artists who dominated Billboard‘s 2022 year-end charts, making huge moves in streaming, touring, radio, album sales and beyond.
The winner of this inaugural bracket will be revealed in Billboard‘s 2023 Power Issue alongside the executive Power List. Can your favorite artist go all the way?
First-round voting is open now, in the bracket below, and will close Monday, Jan. 9, when we reveal your Sweet 16 artists. We’ll get down to the Elite Eight on Wednesday, Jan. 11; the Final Four on Friday, Jan. 13; and championship-round voting between your top two artists begins Monday, Jan. 16.
Alongside the Power Artist 2022 bracket, Billboard is also adding a peer-voted award to its annual Power 100 ranking of the music industry’s most influential executives. This new Power Players’ Choice Award will honor the executive whose peers believe he or she had the most impact across the music business over the past year. Voting is open Friday (Jan. 6) to all Billboard Pro members. For more information, go here. Both the 2022 Power Artist and the Power Player’s Choice Award will be unveiled in the Billboard Power Issue.
So who will be crowned the first fan-voted Power Artist? Only you can decide. Vote in the bracket below. (Reminder: First-round voting closes on Monday.)
Billie Eilish is making a passionate plea to her fans about voting.
The 20-year-old superstar singer took to Instagram on Saturday (Nov. 5) to encourage her 106 million followers to vote before Election Day on Tuesday (Nov. 8).
“I want to explain why I am voting this year and how important I think it is you for vote to,” Eilish says in the video. “Our rights, our freedoms, and our futures are on the line, and if we don’t show up, there is a good chance we will see a national ban on abortion, with no exceptions.”
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The artist added, “They also wanna take away the freedom to marry who we love, restrict voting rights, and enact laws that threaten the progress that must be made on climate change… It scares me.”
Eilish’s caption included a link to BallotReady, which assists with polling locations and other voting information.
On Nov. 8, she will take part in the 2022 #iVoted Festival, with the Election Day webcast also featuring performances by Run the Jewels, CNCO, Rise Against, The Revivalists, OK Go, Lake Street Dive and more than 400 other artists.
Earlier this year, Eilish partnered with HeadCount, a non-partisan voter engagement organization, to get her fans voting in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections. During her career, she has also aligned with organizations including Global Citizen’s Just Vote, Planned Parenthood, and iHeartMedia’s Why I’m Voting.
“The only way to be certain of the future is to make it ourselves, which is why we must vote on or before Nov. 8,” she said in her video on Saturday. “Please promise me you’ll make a plan to vote. Let’s show them what our power looks like.”
Watch Eilish’s message to fans about voting on Instagram below.
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