Black Voters Say They Fear Retaliation For Opposing Trump

“It’s a dangerous game to play for Black people,” one voter told researchers.

Throughout President Donald Trump’s second term in office, Republicans have frequently pointed out the demographic makeup of anti-administration protests, noting how those showing up to demonstrate were often far whiter and older than the Democratic Party’s self-image would suggest.

A new polling and research project that focused on Black voters found that their relative absence from the protests wasn’t related to a secret vein of support for Trump or a lack of opposition to his anger. It was rooted in fear of political violence or economic backlash.

“It’s a dangerous game to play for Black people to put their face out or say certain things right now,” one male focus group participant told the researchers from the Black Opps Project, specifically saying he worried about losing his job. “They’re looking for any way to destroy us.”

The project, which is sponsored by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Black Economic Alliance, the Service Employees International Union and the liberal donor group Way To Win, aimed to find ways to mobilize Black voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. And while fear of violence and retaliation wasn’t the only factor keeping Black people away from political participation in Trump 2.0 – a lack of leadership and cynicism were also major factors – it was a big one.

These findings could have major implications for liberal and Democratic groups’ strategies ahead of the midterms. While public surveys indicate many of the Black voters who supported Trump in 2024 have since turned against him, the Democratic Party struggled to turn out Black voters – typically the most loyal part of their base – in both the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election.