A video that appeared to show David Hilliard, an elderly founder of the Black Panthers, endorsing former President Donald Trump is being hastily taken down as his family revealed he was manipulated into it — and threatened the original poster, a rogue right-wing reporter, with a cease and desist.
According to The Daily Beast, "The video was uploaded to TikTok by Carol Mitchell on Sunday, according to the New York Post. Leading Report, a website known for peddling misinformation, also posted about the interview on X. In a reposted version of the video, a Black woman, presumably Carol Mitchell, introduced Hilliard. 'I want you to meet someone who knew Donald Trump, and he’s going to tell you about Donald Trump in his own words,' Mitchell said before passing the camera over to Hilliard."
In the video, Hilliard said Trump was "a decent man" who "gave us money" and is "familiarized with the Black community." Asked why people are afraid of him back on office, Hilliard said, “Because Trump likes Africans in America. He likes Black folks. I think Trump is very qualified and decent.”
Want more breaking political news? Click for the latest headlines at Raw Story.
ALSO READ: ‘That's the Kool-Aid’: Republicans triple down on Trump the morning after guilty verdict
But Hilliard's family has revealed he is in severe cognitive decline, did not know what he was being made to say in the video, and did not even know Trump is a politician.
Eric Jones, Hilliard's grandson, posted, “Donald Trump was our realtor and such. Most of the properties that we lived in Harlem belonged to Donald Trump. That’s how our relationship came into existence. That’s purely speaking in terms of the past. That is not a nod of support to any of today’s political climate — with Donald Trump or with any other candidate.” He added that Mitchell, who has written a number of self-published books including "Democrats, I am Not Stupid," will face legal threats.
Trump has sought to try to improve his numbers with Black voters after a long history of racism controversies that is still ongoing, but has resorted to what some have called odd and controversial methods of outreach to them.