Bob Johnson Explains Why Black People Should Find Common Ground with Trump

On the Nov. 21 broadcast of CNN‘s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson discussed his most recent meeting with President-elect Donald Trump. 

After talking with Trump, Johnson encouraged Black people to not have permanent parties but permanent interests. While he admitted to being a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter, he said he was more than willing to listen to Trump’s plans for Black people.

In the short clip, Johnson says that Trump wanted to have a candid conversation in an attempt to reach out to the African-American community and provide economic solutions to various issues.

“I approach this thing with the focus on business solutions and problems,” Johnson tells Burnett. “I am not a politician.”

Moreover, he revealed that their talks had more far-reaching implications. For instance, he told Trump that he was not interested in working in his administration after Trump hinted at it. However, he did not rule out working with Republicans.

“If Black Americans can turn the Republican party into a friend, they should do it,” Johnson said. “If they can keep the Democratic party as a friend, they should do it. Our interests should focus on our self-interests and not be locked into one party and ignored by the other party.”

In addition, the media mogul said he believes that if President Barack Obama and Clinton can find common ground with Trump, all Americans can.

“We ought to do it in the best interests of African-Americans,” Johnson said.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top