‘Numbers Are the Numbers’: CNN Host Hits Back After Bakari Sellers Dismisses Poll Showing Trump’s Gains with Black Voters

CNN’s Sara Sidner pushed back after commentator Bakari Sellers dismissed a poll showing Donald Trump making major gains with Black voters.

CNN’s Harry Enten had earlier marveled at a collection of polls finding Trump has tripled his support among Black voters since 2020, from 9% to 21%, while President Joe Biden has seen his support drop from 86% to 70%. Sidner noted the numbers are “very high” for a Republican and asked Sellers what could “explain” the jump in support.

According to Sellers, it’s just “poor polling.”

“If Donald Trump gets those numbers, then I truly believe that I can sell Harry this bridge in Brooklyn,” Sellers said. “That’s just not happening. I think that people have to just level set a little bit, relax a little bit, stop hyperventilating. Donald Trump is not going to get 20% of the black vote. He’s simply not.”

Sellers argued that Biden’s real concern is not Black voters jumping over to Donald Trump, but Black voters who aren’t motivated to vote for the president in November. The bad polling currently happening should be “warning lights” for Democrats, he said.

“Black voters aren’t going to all of a sudden under the age of 50 or however old they are, because he gets four or five unnamed rappers from Detroit or four or five unnamed rappers from the Bronx to support him. They’re not going to all of a sudden, you know, flock to Donald Trump,” Sellers said.

He added that he believes the numbers will stabilize as the election gets closer.

“I don’t have the same shock and awe. I just think here we are in the middle of summer and things will stabilize as we get back to norms as they always do,” he said.

Sidner hit back on this point, stating, “the numbers are the numbers.”

“The numbers are the numbers, Bakari,” she said. “I mean, are you saying you just don’t believe the polls? Or are you saying you don‘t think these polls will be representative of the population once voting begins in November?”

Sellers answered “both,” arguing he doesn’t believe the numbers and it’s a “fact” that Trump will not get 20% of the Black vote in November.

Enten was far more shocked by the results when he broke them down this week.

“Right now, we’re careening towards a historic performance for Republican presidential candidate, the likes of which we have not seen in six decades,” the data reporter said.

Watch above via CNN.

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