Biden told Black voters once that if they voted for Donald Trump then they were “not Black”.

Rep. John James, who was speaking at the Republican National Convention, turned the joke upside down. “I heard earlier today that if you don’t support Donald Trump, then you aren’t black,” he said, smiling to the audience.

Mr. James is among a number of Black Americans who have made the historic argument that Mr. Trump broke the Democrats’ decades-long hold on the Black vote.

Black Republican legislators described their lives on the stage of the convention’s first night, Monday. They included a great-great grandson of slave, a grandchild of cotton picker and a son of father who was denied college admission in Jim Crow South.

The identity politics stopped there.

Burgess Owens, a Utah Representative, told The Washington Times, “I have been waiting for the day when people will stop judging us by our appearance, color or background. We saw that last night, this is where America is.” “We all have the same goals and dreams. It doesn’t really matter what color or ZIP code you are. All of us want freedom. “We want to be able to dream big, and we want to know that our hard work and effort has paid off.”

The number of Black Republicans in Congress is the highest since 1877. However, it is still far below the Democrats.

Other speakers included Mr. James and Rep. Wesley Hunt from Texas, Rep. Byron Donalds from Florida, Sen. Tim Scott who spoke at the convention along with North Carolina Lieutenant Governor. Mark Robinson is seeking to be the first Black governor of North Carolina.

Amber Rose, a model, rapper, and social media influencer, also spoke in the prime time slot on Monday. Her more prosaic remarks titilated the audience. She said that Americans are “pissed off” by the high price of gasoline under President Biden.

Joshua McKoon is a White Republican Party chair who sponsored an event on Tuesday in support of Black elected leaders and delegates. He said, “The dam has broke.” When we look backwards in 2024, the Democratic Party will no longer have a monopoly over Black political support.

The organizers of the convention did not receive all the information about the ethnicity of the delegates, but according to the most recent tally there were at least 55 Black delegates confirmed this year. In 2016, there were 18 Black delegates.

The days of Republicans being able to gather only a handful of Black faces on stage for a convention are long gone. All of them delivered the same standard speech, claiming that Black voters are socially conservatives and belong to Republicans.

The message from the Republicans this week is mature.

David Dix is a consultant from Philadelphia and a convention attendee. He said, “I believe the number of African Americans elected now gives a more general brush of what a Black Republican could look, talk and feel like.” “It is not one size that fits all.”

Mr. Scott claimed that he had been raised in poverty by a single mom who taught him how to “work hard and take responsibility, while rejecting victimhood.”

Scott’s remarks were met with loud applause by the mostly White crowd. The South Carolina senator said, “If you want to find racism in today’s world, look at cities that are run by Democrats.” Look at the South Side. “Look on the South Side of Chicago.”

Scott added, “But there’s good news. It’s conservative values that restore the hope.” “It’s Republican policies that help people rise.”

Mr. James told the story of his black father who was refused entry to Mississippi State University due to his race. He paid for another school and served in Vietnam. Then he started a trucking business hauling beer from Detroit to Milwaukee.

Mr. James stated that despite growing up in Jim Crow South he did not allow vulnerability to become victimhood.

Democrats are scrambling in order to keep Black voters.

Mr. Biden spoke at the NAACP National Convention in Nevada on Tuesday.

Black voters and Black women in particular are still seen as the backbone of Obama’s coalition.

The erosion began when Donald Trump smashed into the scene and demanded that Black voters ask themselves “What have you got to lose?”

Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election by a margin of 89% to 8% over Mr. Trump among Black voters. In 2020, Mr. Biden beat Mr. Trump by 87% to 12% among Black voters.

A recent ABC/Washington Post survey showed that 15% of Black voters backed Mr. Trump, while 79% supported Mr. Biden.

Bruce Levell, a Trump adviser, said that the message of former President Obama resonated with Black Americans.

What the hell have you got to lose? “Try something else,” he said. I think that many people, particularly in Black culture are beginning to think, “Damn, perhaps he’s right.”