Tim Scott fires back after Milwaukee mayor says he doesn't 'buy' the idea that Trump surging with Black voters

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Tim Scott fires back at Milwaukee Democratic mayor over Trump’s reach with Black voters

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson previously said, "I don’t buy that" when asked about Trump gaining popularity with Black voters.

MILWAUKEE - South Carolina GOP Senator Tim Scott is pushing back after the Democratic mayor of Milwaukee said "I don’t buy it" when asked about former President Donald Trump gaining popularity with Black voters. 

"Well, November 5th, you will have to buy it. It'll be sold," Scott told Fox News at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin.

"I think there’s probably a reason why Tim Scott wasn’t selected to be the vice president even though Mr. Trump is supposedly trying to make inroads with African Americans," Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said Tuesday during a press conference when asked about Scott’s outreach to the Black community. "I don’t buy that, I just don’t."

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Johnson added that he doesn't think Scott has "the juice" to convince Black voters to vote for Trump.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson dismissed the notion that Republicans are growing their support among Black voters.  (Fox News/Getty)

"I think black people across the United States know that President Joe Biden's agenda has been delivering not just for the United States, but specifically for Black people," Johnson said. 

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Scott, who held an event at the RNC promoting voter outreach to the Black community, told Fox News that "if we market our message" Trump will "see the highest turnout of African-American voters we've seen since he's been running for president."

"President Trump has been very successful and very effective in meeting the moment for African-American voters like he has for the rest of the country," Scott said.

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Senator Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, attends the Independence Day parade in Merrimack, New Hampshire, US, on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Scott acknowledged to Fox News that it is difficult for Republicans to make inroads with Black women, who he called the most "loyal" and "fierce" voters in the Democratic Party. However, he argued that Black men are "very different."

"They are what I call gettable," Scott said. "If we sell our message sincerely, accurately, with passion, I believe that selling our message to the African-American community will result in a lot of strong turnout. 15%. I do not think it is unrealistic. We could go higher. But if we get to 15%, this game is all over.

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Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he doesn't think SEn. Tim Scott has "the juice" to convince Black voters to vote for Donald Trump. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last month found that support for Biden among Black voters has dropped roughly 20 percentage points in the swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania since the last election. 

Fox News polling showed that Biden led Trump by 64 points with Black voters in July 2020. Today, Biden's lead has shrunk to 42.