In recent weeks, a bitter narrative has taken root on social media. Following Donald Trump’s renewed and racist attacks on Somali immigrants, a chorus of voices, many of them Black American, have begun mocking Somali voters who supported Trump in 2024. The criticism is sharp and unforgiving: How could you vote for a man who hates you?
It is a valid question, but is it being asked by arguably the wrong people?
Before Black Americans point fingers at the Somali community, we must first look in the mirror. We are throwing stones from a glass house that is rapidly shattering. The uncomfortable truth is that the 2024 election revealed a profound psychological and spiritual crisis not just in the Somali diaspora, but among Black Americans and Latinos as well. We are witnessing a global phenomenon where marginalized groups are knowingly aligning with the very structures designed to oppress them.
The Reality of the Attacks
The ridicule directed at Somali voters stems from a very real betrayal. In early December 2025, President Trump confirmed what many had long suspected but he had previously denied: that he referred to African nations as “shithole countries” during his first term. He didn’t stop there. In a recent rally-style event in Pennsylvania, he doubled down, explicitly stating a preference for immigrants from “nice” European countries like Denmark and Norway over those from Somalia, whom he described as coming from places that are “disgusting” and “ridden with crime”. He has even gone so far as to call Somali migrants “garbage” who “contribute nothing”.
These are not dog whistles; they are bullhorn announcements of white supremacist ideology. Yet, despite this open hostility, a segment of the Somali community cast their ballots for him.
The Black American Paradox
However, Black Americans have absolutely no room to judge. The data from the 2024 election paints a startling picture of our own complicity.
While Black women remained the most loyal voting bloc for the Democratic ticket, support for Trump among Black men surged. Exit polls and post-election data indicate that Trump won approximately 24% of the Black male vote—more than doubling his support from previous cycles. In total, verifiable estimates suggest that well over 2 million African Americans voted for Trump in 2024.
To put that in perspective: Trump’s margin of victory in the popular vote was bolstered significantly by these defections. A strong argument can be made that without the historic shift of Black American men, the outcome of the election and the “mandate” Trump now claims would have looked very different. We helped build the very platform from which he now spews hate at Black Americans and Somali.
A Systemic Crisis of Consciousness
This phenomenon is not unique to Black people. It extends deeply into the Latino community, pointing to a systemic fracture in our collective psyche.
In 2024, Trump won the Latino male vote by a staggering margin, with some polls showing him capturing nearly half (47%) of this demographic. This occurred despite his campaign promises to launch the largest deportation operation in American history. Now, the consequences of that cognitive dissonance are arriving. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up raids in late 2025, targeting Latino workplaces and neighborhoods, including a massive raid at a Georgia construction site that arrested nearly 500 workers. The Supreme Court has effectively weaponized identity, legally sanctioning brown skin, Spanish accents, and even our workplaces as valid grounds for ‘reasonable suspicion.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to birthright citizenship in its 2025-26 term. They could strip citizenship from children born in America to undocumented parents. The very people who voted for “economic strength” or “traditional values” are now finding their own families in the crosshairs of a racist government they helped elect.
Conclusion: The Path to Holistic Freedom
We are witnessing a crisis of consciousness. When victims align with their victimizers, it suggests that the chains are no longer just physical or systemic—they are psychological.
There is something seriously wrong when Black and Brown people worldwide knowingly support white male supremacy over other people of color. It is a form of spiritual capture. Until we figure that out and correct it, Black people will never be holistically free. We may gain temporary economic favors or proximity to power, but we will remain physically, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually bound.
The mockery of Somalis must end. Instead, it should be replaced by a somber self-reflection. We are all in the same racist sinking boat, and far too many of us are punching more holes in the boat to appease the captain.
