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‘Very Unique Kind Of Black Folks’: MSNBC Panel, Citing Racism, Raises Concerns With Trump’s Appeal To Black Voters

MSNBC's panel of commentators was outraged Saturday over former President Donald Trump's outreach to black voters on “The Weeknd.”

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman and MSNBC host Michael Steele expressed concern that President Trump is basing his overtures on racial stereotypes.

“Yeah, that's all we do,” Steele said wryly. “We're wearing gold Lamello sneakers and smoking menthol cigarettes. Oh, and we'll take a picture of you, so please come along.”

The Republican front-runner made a surprise appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia on February 17 to launch a Trump-branded sneaker line. President Trump also released a series of merchandise, including T-shirts, beer cans and wrappers, featuring his own mugshot taken at the Fulton County Jail. (Related: 'Republicans are not the enemy': FOX News host tells why black voters are voting for Trump)

“But you have to understand: This is a very unique kind of black room,” said guest Dr. Jason Johnson. “There's a lot of terrible lineups and members-only jackets. That's what we're dealing with here. So I'm not surprised that these kinds of people embrace it.”

“These are the same people who listen to Killer Mike,” Johnson continued. “These are the same many black people who listen to Joe Rogan. I'm worried about people who aren't worried about his racism.”

“But this is his pitch to black voters,” MSNBC host Simone Sanders said. “These sneakers, yeah, he was talking to the room, but the camera was there. He was talking to black people all over the country.”