Perfectly positioned in the crowd behind Donald Trump in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday night, as the president falsely claimed that he had not defended white supremacists, was a man waving a “Blacks for Trump” sign and wearing a T-shirt that read: “Trump & Republicans Are Not Racist.”
The man, who was born Maurice Woodside but now goes by the name “Michael the Black Man,” was seated in the second row of the bleachers behind the podium, where he could be seen on television throughout Trump’s address.
While being broadcast live on camera, President Trump claims media cameras are being turned off https://t.co/cf0mASESyI
— CNN (@CNN) August 23, 2017
Although it is unclear if he traveled cross-country from his home in Miami on his own initiative, Woodside told a radio station in Chicago that he “wasn’t placed there.” He did, however, play a key role in the spectacle, roaring with approval as the president blamed the media for casting him as a racist after his remarks in defense of white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend.
If Trump’s staff did play a role in securing a spot for Woodside at center-stage, however, they seem to have overlooked the fact that he holds some very bizarre beliefs about race, including a theory that the Senate is controlled by a secret underground of “Cherokee Mormons.”
That idea, and a number of other confounding claims based on highly eccentric readings of scripture that point to a global race war, are developed at length in rambling, anti-Semitic sermons Woodside has posted on YouTube and Facebook and collected on the two websites displayed on his sign and T-shirt: BlacksforTrump2020.com and Gods2.com. His sign at Trump’s rally directed viewers to the former site.
While it is difficult to follow the logic of most of his rants, a Facebook post from last October, explaining his opposition to Hillary Clinton in apocalyptic terms, gives a taste of his arguments. “Semiramis mother of Nimrod was a White as Snow Canaanite who’s NickName is ISIS passed to Hagar to Nefitiri [sic] to Delilah to Jezebel to Mary Magdalene & the Illuminati has passed it to HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON,” Woodside wrote on Facebook on Oct. 27, two days after Trump praised him at a rally in Florida. Clinton, he added, is “the Great Red (White as Snow see through skin to the Red Bloody Mucle [sic]) Dragon who wants to Kill Sarah the Black Woman of America Rev.12:1-12.”
A post on Woodside’s website last year outlined what he called an international plot to spark a race war. “Arabs & East Indians have stolen America,” Woodside wrote, “& Plots to use Islam & ISIS TO KILL all Black Women of America, all White People & the Police by them causing a RACE War.”
Woodside’s recent obsession seems to be with the idea that the Bible contains coded warnings of a plot by secret Cherokees, Masons, and “shape shifters” to enslave Americans and defeat Trump. “Real KKK Slave Master Revealed & is the Cherokee!” Woodside wrote in one recent post with eccentric punctuation and references to scripture. “Black & White Americans are really Hebrews, (Hos.4:6) & were in America before Cherokees. Solve America’s Debt. make all Indians pay Taxes! Trick: we’re all mixed with them, we pay taxes they don’t & they Hate us, (r.36)!”
As The Intercept and other publications reported last year, he initially reinvented himself as a Republican activist in the 1990s, after the black supremacist cult leader he had followed throughout the previous decade, Yahweh ben Yahweh, was jailed for a series of killings that included the beheading of one victim. Woodside was eventually acquitted of playing any part in those murders, despite testimony from his brother, who had also been in the cult, implicating him in two killings.
When Woodside first attracted national attention for appearing at Trump rallies in Florida last October, and became a hero to conservative activists, Trump supporters argued that campaigns were not responsible for screening attendees, and pointed to the fact that the father of Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, was spotted behind Clinton at one of her rallies.
Getting down with the Blacks for @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/LOcmhf0Wsc
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 6, 2017
Woodside’s previous membership in a violent cult, however, combined with his online rants about race wars with “secret Cherokee Mormons,” raises questions not just for the White House but also the Secret Service, which allowed him to be in close proximity to the president 10 months after his troubled history was first reported in the national press.
Top Photo: A radical preacher and former member of a violent cult who goes by the name “Michael the Black Man,” stood behind President Donald Trump at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday.
The only blacks I’ve ever met who supported Trump, as with Asians and Latins, were Christian fanatics. Brainwashed by the white man to be a loyal slave to white rule. Just like at Ben Carson. Slavery created idiots like them!
Those Arapahos are the first to suspect of domestic violence.
Cherokees…. I knew it!
“Woodside’s recent obsession seems to be with the idea that the Bible contains coded warnings of a plot by secret Cherokees, Masons, and “shape shifters” to enslave Americans and defeat Trump. ”
He forgot the alien Reptilians, you can’t leave those sneaky bastards out of the mix, they control all of the European monarchies ya know (and Dick Cheney, he’s a Reptilian too. I read it on the internet, so it must be true!).
I’m guessing that you’ve never heard of Coast to Coast AM, nor have you been watching the History Channel. Seriously, he’s not exactly alone here. You’d be amazed at the number of people who believe all of that. And really, what crazy conspiracy theories do you believe in? That Trump is a secret (or overt) Nazi racist bent on bringing white supremacists into power? That all of his speeches contain ‘dog whistle’ sound bites that only racists can hear to incite them into action? And if *you* can hear those dog whistles, which apparently so many liberals claim to hear, then doesn’t that mean that you’re a racist yourself?
Serious mental health issues, not likely to get addressed in the USA. Delusions never go away, no meds specifically help. This guy, I feel bad that he’s being praised by Trumpers when he desperately needs help, not attaboys.
So, just another deplorable.
So the only black guy visible at the rally turns out to be clearly, certifiably out of his mind. This is not surprising, but it is nice to have confirmation.
Terminology is America’s problem, referring to human beings as ‘Blacks’ and ‘Whites’. For such a diverse population and a progressive-society, why are we still using these elementary terms & colors?
This guy is just another example of the type of people that Rodger Stone, Trump and the GOP appeal to.
#American Embarrassment
Just like the Scalia shooter, someone the democrats appeal too. As well as idiot anarchist antifa scum. A stupid generalization and guilt by association.
#liberalsareidiotstoo
15,008,980 blacks voted in the Presidential election in 2016
83% of black voters identified as Christian
12,457,453 black voters identified as Christian
88% of black voters voted for Clinton
.88 X 15,008,980 = 13,207,902 Blacks voted for Hillary
.83 x 13,207,902 = 10,962,559 Blacks who voted for Hillary were Christian
8 % of Blacks voted for Trump
.08 x 15,008,980 = 1,200,718 Blacks voted for Trump
.83 x 1,200,718 = 996,596 of blacks who voted for Trump were Christian
Yet Mr Mackey would have us focus on the one black voter who “holds some very bizarre beliefs about race.”
Woodside’s beliefs are not representative of those held by black Trump supporters – Christian or not. Mr. Woodside does personify the degree to which individual religious belief is tolerated by the republican party however. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Mr Woodside represented a viable threat to the President.By Mr.Mackey’s standard, every combat soldier who ever served poses a greater threat to the president than Woodside as they have a proven track record of committing mindless violence in the advance of a political agenda irrespective of their own personal belief.
I agree, this should have been left for the comedians to handle, this article looks like a hit piece, i am disappointed in the intercept once again. I still love glenn and jeremy tho
All of Mackey’ s articles are hit pieces. He’s a liberal hack.
He’s right though. Almost all blacks supporting Trump appear to be mentally disturbed religious fanatics with excessive slavery ers brainwashing of how good ‘Massa’ is!
What would be more honest is if the politician’s biggest donors were to line up behind the politician in question for the cameras – with all of them holding leashes attached to a dog collar around the politician’s neck.
http://www.govexec.com/management/2012/07/who-are-those-people-standing-behind-obama/56795/
No, you’ll never see the top donors standing behind the politician at a public gathering – never. Except maybe Bernie Sanders types, because they won’t accept donations larger than $100 and that’s actually a positive optic.
Psychotic Uncle Toms for Trump!!!
Hey Mackey! This is a terrific article by your mediocre standards. Did you by any chance happen to notice Orlando nightclub killer’s father sitting behind Hillary Clinton in one of her rallies? Please provide us some juicy details of that bloke’s activities also.
It’s a relief that you has stopped spying on Twitter and pasting useless tweets to make up worthless concoctions. Please let it stay this way.
Concur, since we’re into cults and politicains now, please rehash the one about the Clinton’s collaboration with Scientology;
I certainly wondered about the man.
He was obviously looking to be noticed.
I don’t know that race has much to do with it, though it is not racist to wonder why a Black man is a pro-Trump supporter with such gusto and flair. I wonder the same thing about the Log Cabin Conservatives and I’m not a homophobe.
I also wondered about women and Mr Trump and I am not sexist.
(I am, however, blatantly prejudiced against willful idiots.)
“I am, however, blatantly prejudiced.”
Yeah….you can stop right there.
Token Negros and deeply misguided clowns, that is what I see. As a black male, I get nauseated seeing nonsense like this. “Michael the Black man”, is this guy not well, mentally? I would not put it past a bunch of GOP losers and other disingenuous white folk to use this man as a prop. These clowns make it harder for other people including whites, to fight against this type of sneaky injustice. Let’s make people of color, specifically blacks in this case, think right wing conservatives have their best interests in mind. That how Jim Crow creeps back into play, and other civil rights are take away over time.
You need a history lesson on the civil rights movement.
I sincerely doubt that a black male needs a lesson on the civil rights movement. But if you think he really does, why don’t you educate us all while you’re at it?
No single person is capable of speaking on behalf of an entire bloc, so this line of argumentation is disingenuous. Anybody starting a counter with “As a…” should be dismissed outright. What a farce.
“As a black man myself” (lol) I completely agree. As a matter of fact, it’s quite clear that he has a slave-mans complex and believes his party has his party’s best interests at heart, when in reality he is just another cattle to fight (((their))) battle. But perhaps he partly realizes that, and classifies as independent and actually believes it.
I partially agree with your statement. However, I am waiting to hear how this commenter knows that Wendell needs a lesson and what that lesson is. I disagree with your assertion that starting a response with “As a….” should always be dismissed outright. For example, I frequently respond to comments that I see that one can get SSDI or SSI disability for drug or alcohol abuse by stating as a former Social Security Disability Hearings Officer that that is total bullshit. I could start the sentence using different word usage, but I see nothing wrong with “As a…” in these instances.
The candidate that Macky was pinning for last fall, on his pink boarded safe space, has even more wacky views about race:
“Today our country has lost a true American original, my friend and mentor Robert C. Byrd.”
– Crooked Hillary on KKK Grand Wizard, Senator (D) – West Virginia
This shows the snowflake racism and hypocrisy. They pretend to love blacks, but if any blacks dare stray from their party — they are race-traitors, uncle toms, and subhumans. Black people should leave the Dems for this reason alone. Whites are afforded a two-party system, but try being a black Republican. You will be trashed, *based* on your skin color. This is nothing less than a subtle form of Jim Crow, to restrict the political movement of black consciousness.
How about we get a second opinion from those red-lined in NYC, the Central Park Five and the president born in “Kenya”?
hmm
Let’s assume that he is of balance
and that if he were in his other right mind, he would be protesting the other way
and yet there is is side by side with the deep right folks
but let’s assume that one’s mere physical presence is meaningless with regard to everything else
that’s a lot of assuming
but let’s assume that these certain republicans are racists
WOW.
You know Robert… You could have just reduced your article to “Stupid ni**er doesn’t know what’s good for him – as a white man I do though.”
Pretty damn low. Maybe his prerogative isn’t yours and that’s OK?
it is funny how he honed in on one person out of dozens “bringing the crazy” based solely on skin colour, innit? maybe if he threw “superpredator” into his sermons he’d pass the mackey test.
Exactly. I wish there was a term for people who made judgments and accusations based on someone’s skin color like that – the author could then ironically use all the time.
Nice job using your resources and audience to troll a private no-named citizen.
If he wanted to be private, he could have stayed home. Privacy is the least of his wants whatsoever.
Or you know, Mackey could try not be a retaliatory goon using the public square to pick on a nobody…..either way.
I have one major question? Why were the signs allowed in the venue? There is another article that specifically states that SIGNS ARE NOT ALLOWED! Why the change for Trumpites? This comes from the convention center : According to the convention center’s website, here is what to leave at home:
-Aerosols
-Ammunition
-Animals other than service/guide animals
-Backpacks
-Bags and signs
-Bicycles
-Balloons
-Coolers
-Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems
-Explosives
-Firearms
-Glass, thermal, or metal containers
-Laser pointers
-Mace/pepper spray
-Packages
-Selfie Sticks
-Structures
-Supports for signs and placards
-Toy guns
-Explosives
-Weapons of any kind
-Any other items determined to be potential safety hazards
Trump’s supporters say he is misunderstood, and that’s why his approval numbers are so low, around 30%.
I agree that he is misunderstood, but am of the opinion that that is why his approval numbers are so high.
:)
I saw a clip of that speech, over and over again, on mute… I avoid listening to Trump’s voice whenever possible. Everyone and everything going on behind Trump was a little weird. “Normally” (if we can still use that word in reference to Trump), the hand-picked people who form the backdrop for a president, sit or stand quietly and look attentively at the back of president’s head and out at the audience. Half the folks in this case seemed to be unable to stop moving, or shut up.
I kept thinking that surely the mic was picking up all that yak, and any moment now #45 would turn around and give them the stink eye and tell them to be quiet. I was mildly impressed they weren’t staring at their phones or texting, maybe grabbing a few selfies or group photos. It was the most disrespectful, self-absorbed bunch of ‘extras’ — representing ‘murica –I’ve seen behind a president.
So why question just the presence of the black guy?
For those complaining about the intercept running this story, we really wouldn’t have known or cared about this kook if Trump would just stop campaigning and get to some serious work. For goodness’ sake, the election was 10 months ago.
I am not surprised in the slightest this guy is a Trump supporter.
an end times cultist with ties to a series of killings is allowed to be that close to the president of the united states. who the hell is in charge of risk assessment?
Yes all politicians always artfully stage their human backdrops behind the podium at campaign events:
The substantive issues, though – how about NAFTA? Here it looks like Trump is taking a lesson from Hillary Clinton on having both “public positions” and “private positions”. What he told his public, for example, in Arizona: “Personally, I don’t think we can make a deal … I think we’ll end up probably terminating NAFTA at some point,” the president said.
In the backroom, however, the likes of Rex Tillerson, Gary Cohn, Steve Munchin, etc. are all dedicated to NAFTA because it increases corporate profits for Exxon, Goldman Sachs, etc. Here’s just one reason Trump’s “private position” is almost certainly pro-NAFTA:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2017/01/10/trump-tillerson-nafta-mexico-and-oil-companies/
Yet, isn’t it curious how the corporate media is not attacking Trump on this one? Lord forbid he actually follow through on his campaign promises and cancel NAFTA. . . That would be a disaster for Wall Street profits! Interestingly, Intercept’s David Dayen noted that Gary Cohn (Goldman Sachs) was taking over NAFTA negotiations back in March 2017 . . .
Sure looks like Trump is reading off the Hillary Clinton political strategy playsheet, doesn’t it?
Agree with you as usual, and would like to add that there is yet another area where the MSM is not attacking Trump (anymore): ‘Defense’ – namely, “his decision” to ramp up again in Afghanistan. This has been met with either praise or tacit head nodding by the establishment presstitutes.
By portraying Blacks who support Trump as mentally unhinged in this way the author basically defining being black and sane as supporting his political views. If you sofar as say or do anything that remotely support Trump you no longer are allowed to “be Black”. It’s absurd and racist.
The guy was not “portrayed” as insane. He clearly is insane. If you’re black and support Trump, it’s not at all surprising that there’s something wrong with you. And there’s nothing controversial or racist about pointing it out.
“Anyone black and disagrees with me has something wrong with them”
Either your saying that disagreeing with you makes someone insane which is ironic since your comment itself is completely insane, or you are saying that being black is in of itself wrong a.k.a you are racist. Which one is it?
No true blacksman
So… It’s projection then. OK.
Yes, it’s really racist to say basically everything you just said.
Good to see Intercept sinking to TMZ levels with this non-news sheisse. I’m sure glad to know much more about this black dude, who is black, and therefore worthy of targeting because he’s a Trump supporter.
Crazy people exist. Sometimes they get on TV. And the entire media sphere just made him way more popular than he could ever imagine because he’s silly. Kinda like Trump, huh?
GJ. Get bent.
I would suggest that this article is much ado about nothing.
Mackey..you forgot to describe the Russia link. Pretty sure you can find unnamed intelligence sources to prove this guy is an agent of the Kremlin.
I heard the guy was forced to eat part of an infant in a ritual held in Chicago hosted by Barry Obama and the Clintons.
There we have it. The most memorable black Trump supporter is certifiably insane. And worryingly, he has been chosen by Trump’s handlers to appear close to him.
The fact that the librul MSM investigate a man simply because he is black and conservative is precisely what is so disgusting about libruls. You people are absolutely sick in the head.
John, you are sick in the head thinking the MSM is “libural” (is that the new buzzword, or are you that clueless?). They are corporate. They do not explain in detail proposed economic policies, fail to report accurately on our terrorizing of the Middle-east, snubbed Sanders, are anti-protestors, and so on and so on. Idiot.
I honestly did not know any of this about Woodside, so am glad for the information. At the time of the speech we both said out loud, “What’s the brotha doing there? What is his story? How much are they paying him?”
I don’t consider us freak shows of the social media. But it is worth considering I think since a great deal of the conversation has been the mental instability of Trump – perhaps this is one of the greatest drives of his pool of true believers, that they too are mentally unstable, fuses are loose….braindead. Jim Jones ring a bell? Lemmings ? We already know Adolf Hitler does.
Birds of a feather flock together.
It would appear that Mssr. Le Tromper is also wasting american taxpayer money hiring trolls to attack Intercept journalists, esp. Mr. Mackey, unless of course it is only one troll doing it all: the famous 400 pound guy on his couch in New Jersey. The FBI would maybe like to get him to ‘roll’ ?
The freak show of social media loves this kind of thing.
It seems a stretch to use it to fill an article.
The freak show Trump put him front and center… and now your saying no, no, no. Hilarious.
To be fair to Mr. Mackey, when I saw that footage, I was wondering “who the hell is that guy?” And then Mackey told me who he was. So I’m not sure it wasn’t worth writing about.
But as usual, I defer to your judgment on what’s right or wrong with the world, Il Duce.
If Mr. Mackey was interested in his subject, why didn’t he delve a bit more deeply into Mr. Woodside’s beliefs or try and understand what actually motivates him? Pointing a finger and saying ‘cuckoo!’ can be conveyed in a Tweet – why write a whole article?
Benito Mussolini,
Writing a whole article may result in publication and/or remuneration .
He sounds no more crazy than any other religious nut or rabid political commentator right now. He certainly didn’t write a series of articles like your Trump-Down in the misguided belief that Donald Trump could never, ever win the race to the Presidency. But nice of you to waste time writing about him rather than actually doing something constructive to change the world. Nothing like Talking Loud and Saying Nuthin’ to hide one’s shortcomings.
Is it really that slow a news cycle that this guy ALWAYS gets coverage? Super Colossal Earth Shattering Breaking News(that we’re using to fill time because we’re bored out of our minds w/Trump). First it’s Mnuchin’s asshole wife insulting everyone she can. Now THIS? What’s next Mackey? Trump says more stupid ass racist shit for the day?
This is just a cult – just a cult.
This is just the sort of petty bullshit that we have come to expect from Robert Mackey. Not a reasoned critique of many of Trump’s questionable policies, but a cheap guilt-by-association rant because some poor guy who is not all there happens to like Trump.
Maybe, but you would be lying if you didn’t wonder, what’s this guy’s story? I know I did, and was shocked to see some focus here. Anecdotal and slightly petty, sure, but there is definitely interest. A story is a story, reporters can choose what they might consider interesting.
Did ShareBlue or OccupyDemocrats just acquire theintercept.com?
That may be the most cogent comment I’ve read here today.
Did ShareBlue or OccupyDemocrats arrange the chairs at Trumps rally too?
Yes, yes, the Infidel has Cooties as do his minions.
Now, what are we going to do about it?
I don’t understand how Greenwald starts this place up, for the most part his articles are well put together even if you don’t agree, then the rest of this site is filled with trash like this.
Please white liberal elite GQ writer – tell the world how the black man shouldn’t think for himself because it’s not how you think.
So now a black person who supports Donald Trump has to have a psychological disorder? You guys are embarrassing yourselves.
Your the one who should be embarrassed. Go to his YouTube or Facebook page and see for yourself.
What are you raving about? That guys is the perfect example of Trump’s base. It doesn’t matter that he’s black, it matters that his head is crawling with insects and sewer rats.
(;
Then did the article ONLY focus on him being Black? It appears they are targeting and using him to define “being a good black” as hating Trump and thereby declaring any black who even remotely support Trump as mentally unhinged. Ironically this argument is more racist than anything Trump has said.
Of course the media has to go after a black guy supporting Trump to discredit him. Exactly what a racist would do. Robert Mackey please point me in the direction I can find the articles you’ve written picking out Clinton/Sanders supporters out of a crowd and digging up dirt on them. Great journalism bud! By the way Trump never defended white supremacists, he’s disavowed them over and over since the campaign. He expressed his support for anyone that was there protesting the removal of a statue, not Nazi’s or KKK. I guess it’s what we should expect from the Ministry of Truth.
Nah, he just pointed out a twisted person and went after Trump and his supporters for being so similarly f’d up that indeed, his presence there doesn’t seem strange at all. A Ministry of Truth article would have been more entertaining. This was just straight-up obvious. Meh.
Rob. Are you just contrary? God bless you.