O’Shea Jackson, better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is defending his decision to advise President Trump on “The Platinum Plan,” a Trump administration initiative to help Black Americans. The rapper received heavy backlash after Katrina Pierson, Trump’s campaign senior advisor, revealed that the rapper was involved in the plan.
What We Know:
- The news comes as an abrupt surprise to many followers of the hip-hop icon. Ice Cube has been known to be a fairly consistent vocal critic of President Trump. Just two years ago, he released a track on his album Everythangs Corrupt with the title “Arrest The President”.
- Why this is such a shock now, is given the artist’s history of being known for his loud critiques of racism and corruption, a few things Trump has been accused of over the past four years of his presidential term. Now he supports the president’s agenda with Election Day just around the corner.
Shoutout to @icecube for his willingness to step up and work with @realDonaldTrump Administration to help develop the #PlatinumPlan
ICYMI: https://t.co/V0qOAp0lwR
Leaders gonna lead, haters gonna hate. Thank you for leading! ✊🏾
— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) October 13, 2020
- The year 2020 has no doubt struck a chord for many people both in the Black and Brown communities and not. There is an undeniable rise in the significance of what the Black vote will mean in this country this general election. After nearly a whole year of massive Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests advocating for nationwide police reform and racial equality in America, of which Trump has critiqued on occasion, the timing seems very poor for a change in view.
- The rapper took to Twitter recently to speak on his actions. He clarified that his meeting with the Trump administration was not an official endorsement, but a meeting to continue the discussion on his Contract With Black America (CWBA). This plan has various policies that aim to address racial inequality in the country and several reforms including lending, police, prison, and judicial.
- “Black progress is a bipartisan issue. When we created the Contract With Black America we (expected) to talk to both sides of the (aisle). Talking truth to power is part of the process,” he said on Twitter Thursday. “I will advise anybody on the planet who has the power to help Black Americans close the enormous wealth gap.”
- Ice Cube has made it clear that despite working with the Trump administration, both Democratic and Republican leaders have contacted him about the CWBA. In particular, Democrats showed interest in this initiative but would proceed with negotiations and talk after the presidential election. As far as “The Platinum Plan” is concerned, Ice Cube stated that the Trump campaign made “adjustments” after speaking with him, yet it remains unclear what changed.
“I don’t trust none of them,” the rapper said in a video on Twitter Sunday. “No president has done right by us so I don’t trust none of them. So putting our hopes and dreams behind any of them just don’t work, we got to make them do what we want them to do and there are only a few ways to that.”
