Democracy Dies in Darkness

4.4 million 2012 Obama voters stayed home in 2016 — more than a third of them black

March 12, 2018 at 4:59 p.m. EDT
Speaking in in Hershey, Pa., President-elect Donald Trump praises African American voters for being "smart," saying, "they didn't come out to vote for Hillary." (Video: The Washington Post)

A month after his victory in the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump offered his thanks to an unexpected demographic group.

“We did great with the African American community,” he said. “So good. Remember — remember the famous line, because I talk about crime, I talk about lack of education, I talk about no jobs. And I’d say, what the hell do you have to lose? Right? It’s true. And they’re smart, and they picked up on it like you wouldn’t believe. And you know what else? They didn’t come out to vote for Hillary. They didn’t come out. And that was a big — so thank you to the African American community.”