Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire
  • omnibus

Freedom Rider: Liberal Sympathy for Trump
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
07 Oct 2020
Freedom Rider: Liberal Sympathy for Trump
Freedom Rider: Liberal Sympathy for Trump

If Ava Duvernay really believes Trump is a white supremacist, why wish him well?  

“Maddow and Duvernay speak and act in defense of their class interests.”

Everyone reveals their true self in a time of turmoil. A crisis forces exposure which can no longer be kept hidden. The revelation that Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 certainly proves this point. The phony resistance immediately showed that their opposition to Trump is no indicator of solidarity with the people. Their allegiance to the ruling classes always comes out whenever it is time for people to speak forcefully.

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has made a career out of pushing the sketchy Russiagate narrative but she was suddenly overcome with concern for Trump. “God bless the president and the First Lady. If you pray, please pray for their speedy and complete recovery — and for everyone infected, everywhere. This virus is horrific and merciless — no one would wish its wrath on anyone.” 

Maddow’s reaction is not surprising. She is a propagandist after all, and not the journalist she pretends to be. Her objections to Trump in no way show support for popular needs. Like the Democratic Party she represents, she may scorn Trump by ginning up the false Russiagate narrative, but she doesn’t object to Democrats approving the establishment of a Space Force or giving him military budgets larger than the amount he requests. They are of one mind in waging hybrid wars against China, Venezuela or Iran. They support sanctions that create human misery all over the world. 

“Maddow is a propagandist and not the journalist she pretends to be.”.

What does one do when the target of phony outrage gets sick? For Maddow it means asking for prayers and even comparing him to a smoker friend who develops lung cancer. We don’t criticize the smoker, we do everything to support that person, says the object of liberal adoration. Interesting that Maddow sees Trump as a friend at all. Then again, she described the late Roger Ailes as her friend and mentor. His Fox News creation is anathema to the millions of Democrats who are obsessed with her program and see her as their spokesperson. Now they ought to know she doesn’t really care that much.

Maddow was not alone. Film director Ava Duvernay also felt compelled to send Trump a rhetorical get well card. But she showed her hand after the presidential debate when she condemned Trump but also managed to throw in some Obamaesque scolding of black people for good measure. “For those who hadn’t been listening for the past 4 years, Trump just told you that he ain't leaving and that he is a white supremacist. If that doesn't get every American who is not white into overdrive to toss his ass -- we may actually deserve what happens next.” It seems that in her world view, if Trump and his fascist hordes do rise up to attack black people, the victims will somehow be at fault. 

“Ava Duvernay also felt compelled to send Trump a rhetorical get well card.”

Even after getting push back for her first dubious statement, Duverney again tried to have it both ways as she commented upon his COVID diagnosis. “I truly hope you get well as you’re infected with a life-threatening virus and are physically ill. Also, you are a disgrace and a liar. You’ve cost hundreds of thousands their lives. And you’re a white supremacist. Get well. Sincerely. And after that, we’re going to vote you out.” If she really believes Trump is a white supremacist why wish him well?  This is the same Ava Duvernay who announced that questions about Kamala Harris are off limits and are in her view an insult to our ancestors. The black misleadership class is made up of a larger group than politicians. Entertainers and other prominent people like Duvernay always try to limit the scope of black action and even of our thoughts.

Maddow, Duvernay and other well wishers have done us all a huge service. The real resistance, those who oppose neoliberalism, its racist structures, and its empire, are consistent. If they say anything about Trump and COVID they point out that he dismissed the severity of a disease that has killed 200,000 people in this country. The duopoly work together on giving meager help to millions of people suffering because of COVID’s economic impact. They lack the “socialized medicine” that Trump now enjoys. That is what needs to be said.

“The black misleadership class is made up of a larger group than politicians.”

These virtue signallers have signaled to us that they believe the little people should never complain too much. Only so much opinion is to be expressed and then we must fall into line and not disturb our rulers, even those they allegedly dislike. 

Anyone unwilling to show sympathy to Trump for any reason is showing righteous indignation and is to be applauded. The well wishers are phonies, either deliberately gas lighting to protect their own interests, or their anti-Trump politics are all for show. Both statements are true for the likes of wealthy opinion makers like Maddow and Duvernay. They speak and act in defense of their class interests. The rest of us must do likewise.

Margaret Kimberley’s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and she regularly posts on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com. 

COMMENTS?

Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report's Facebook page at http://facebook.com/blackagendareport

Or, you can comment by emailing us at [email protected] 

2020 Election

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles. Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Joe Biden is a White Supremacist War Hawk, Too
Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
Joe Biden is a White Supremacist War Hawk, Too
03 February 2021
No one in the Biden camp has spoken out against the past, present, and future war crimes which will undoubtedly shape the administration.
Biden’s Proposed Cabinet – A Kinder and Gentler Imperialism
Dr.Wilmer J. Leon, III
Biden’s Proposed Cabinet – A Kinder and Gentler Imperialism
02 December 2020
Biden, et al are planning to take us back to a romanticized Clinton and Obama eras.
Freedom Rider: The Real Trump Coup
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
Freedom Rider: The Real Trump Coup
18 November 2020
Trump puts whiteness first and that means he will always have support and Republican leaders know it.
Biden-Harris and the Diverse Faces of U.S. Imperialism
Tye Salandy
Biden-Harris and the Diverse Faces of U.S. Imperialism
18 November 2020
From Obama v McCain to Biden v Trump, the good cop/bad cop drama of US imperial politics, continues.
Don’t [Mourn] Celebrate, Organize!
Riva Enteen
Don’t [Mourn] Celebrate, Organize!
18 November 2020
The same “injustice” system that unlawfully locked up the Central Park Five will continue unabated with Biden and his “top cop” sidekick.
Black Voters: “Contrarian” Men and “Communal” Women
Glen Ford, BAR Executive Editor
Black Voters: “Contrarian” Men and “Communal” Women
12 November 2020
A significant portion of Black males are “contrarians” that take positions at odds with the general Black political consensus – while Black women t
Freedom Rider: The Real Resistance Begins
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
Freedom Rider: The Real Resistance Begins
11 November 2020
“Kamala Auntie” and Joe from Scranton will do as little as possible so that “nothing will fundamentally change” that would halt endless wars and th
Joe Biden’s Victory is Still a Loss for Humanity
Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
Joe Biden’s Victory is Still a Loss for Humanity
11 November 2020
The Biden-Harris administration is good news for corporations, cops, war profiteers and banks too big to fail, but offers nothing to save the peopl
The Elusive Quest for Justice in Black America
Bashir Muhammad Akinyele
The Elusive Quest for Justice in Black America
11 November 2020
We as Black people must keep pushing, organizing, and demanding a Black agenda centered on reparations.
Now that Trump Has Been Defeated...
Popular Resistance
Now that Trump Has Been Defeated...
11 November 2020
We need to continue building power from the bottom up through organizing, political education and community assemblies.

More Stories


  • x
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
    The Tactical Failure of Israel/U.S. Attacks on Iran Is Leading Both to a Strategic Disaster
    25 Jun 2025
    The U.S. and Israel’s unchecked aggression has plunged the world into a lawless state of imperial violence—yet their latest attacks on Iran have only exposed the limits of colonial power. As Western…
  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Rwanda: Victoire Ingabire Must Not Suffer the Fate of Kizito Mihigo
    25 Jun 2025
    Kizito Mihigo and Victoire Ingabire both challenged Rwanda's foundational genocide narrative. He died in jail, and she is now in custody.
  • Jon Jeter
    Unable to Reinvent Itself, Dems Can’t Capitalize on Trump’s Missteps
    25 Jun 2025
    The Democratic Party is in crisis—divided, broke, and struggling to counter Trump’s agenda despite growing public backlash. Internal battles over strategy and leadership have left the DNC paralyzed.
  • Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
    There’s Plenty Left in New York City, and the Democrat Establishment is Shook
    25 Jun 2025
    Zohran Mamdani’s upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC’s mayoral primary has cracked the Democratic machine’s decades-long grip, proving grassroots organizing can muscle out billionaire financing and…
  • Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Oliver Baker’s Book, “No More Peace”
    25 Jun 2025
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Oliver Baker. Baker is Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us