Donald Trump: I’m More Popular Than Fried Chicken, Watermelon Among Black Voters-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Rumors that Donald Trump evoked racist stereotypes while courting black voters by saying that he would be more popular than fried chicken and watermelon among them have gone viral.
The Truth:
Donald Trump didn’t say that he’d be more popular than fried chicken and watermelon among black voters.
That rumor started with The Business Standard, a fake news website that satirizes the 24-hour news cycle.
The article, which appeared under the headline, “Trump Says He’ll Be More Popular than Fried Chicken, Watermelon in the Black Community,” was especially deceiving because it combined real and fictional quotes from Trump about black voters.
The story accurately quoted Trump’s comments from a rally in Michigan in which he told black voters, “You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed — what the hell do you have to lose?”
The story also included Trump’s alleged quote about fried chicken and watermelon, reporting that Trump made the comment to the Conservative Chronicle. That’s not true, however.
The Business Standard clearly identifies itself as satire on its “About” page:
The Business Standard News is a satirical site designed to parody the 24-hour news cycle. The stories are outlandish, but reality is so strange nowadays they could be true.