The man once dubbed Donald Trump’s “African-American” said he no longer aligns with the ideals of the conservative party or the man at the helm. Speaking to CNN, Gregory Cheadle documented his life since being given that peculiar title and explained why he may vote for Joe Biden on November 3.
Four years after the 2016 campaign event where Trump gave him a shout-out, Cheadle admits his political views have shifted. At the time, he considered the recognition some deemed racist a “joke,” but he told CNN, “Then the joke turned sour.” He claims he lost friends and a romantic relationship and went into hiding.
It’s been roughly a year since Cheadle left the GOP, but he says he’s still undecided about who he will support in the upcoming general election. On Tuesday, appearing on CNN Tonight, he told host Don Lemon that he’s on the fence because he has “yet to hear from both camps.” Starting next week he says he plans to send out what he wants from both campaigns and “whoever responds best wins.”
Despite being on the fence, he appears to have taken a liking to the Biden-Harris ticket because of Senator Kamala Harris. “The good news about Biden is that he has Harris as his VP and that’s where I would be leaning if I were to vote Democrat,” Cheadle disclosed. Cheadle is also considering voting Libertarian.
The now seemingly pro-Black politician says what swayed him to go left is what he calls a “White superiority complex” he insists Trump possesses. He now describes the Republican party as having a “pro-White agenda” that he says does not benefit Black people or speak to the issues faced by everyday Black Americans. He was further turned off by Trump’s suggestion to the congresswomen of “The Squad” to “go back” to where they came from. And he took issue with the fact that the GOP did little to celebrate the life of notable Black Republican Herman Cain after he died of COVID-19 following his attendance at a Trump rally in Tulsa.
Cheadle now sees conservatism as being in favor of the status quo. “And the status quo is keeping the White superiority complex in power,” Cheadle told CNN. “I’m not for that. I am an independent, an independent thinking person.”