Much as I can understand skepticism about political polls, notably those released a year before an election, there is reason for pause and panic about a recent one released by the New York Times. It indicates that Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden in five of six key battleground states.

Although much of the initial coverage focused on the data showing that Biden would presently lose to former President Trump in a rematch of the 2020 election, if I could send a message to the Biden/Harris campaign, it would be to strike the match and light the fire that will activate your efforts to not only reach but connect with Black voters. It’s just plain confusing that Trump is netting a full double-digit 22 percent support from our community.

As the New York Times, that statistic represents “a modern-day first for a Republican and a sizable improvement over the 8 percent he had in polling in 2020"—a feat attributed to many Black voters retaining “positive views of the policies Mr. Trump enacted as president.”

When I read that, my mind immediately went to Sexyy Red—and sadly, not because of any of the hits on Hood's Hottest Princess

During an appearance on Sexyy Red’s “This Past Weekend” web show last month, Sexyy Red said of the ex-president: “Yeah, they support [Trump] in the hood. At first, I don’t think people was f**kin’ with him. They thought he was racist, saying little sh*t against women. But once he started getting Black people out of jail and giving people that free money. Aww baby, we love Trump. We need him back in office. We need him back because, baby, them checks. Them stimulus checks. Trump, we miss you.”

Much of the online pushback categorized Sexyy Red as uninformed, while others dismissed her political opinions altogether under the presumption that she probably doesn’t vote anyway.

The criticism is simply unhelpful if the aim is to make certain that Trump—a well-known, documented racist, sexist, and hopefully soon-to-be convicted scammer—is not reelected.

Should Sexyy Red know that it was actually Congress that passed the bill that provided stimulus checks? Yes, but there has been a nationwide civics education crisis in America for decades now and Americans collectively (and regrettably) consume far less news than they used to or are getting their news from unreliable, unverifiable sources from irresponsible posts on social media. So, to be clear, it is not only Black folks in the hood who could stand to be better informed.

Sexyy Red’s comments echo similar remarks made by YG, the artist that gave us “F**k Donald Trump,” in August on that same show.

 “I ain’t gonna lie…the Black community was not f**kin’ with Trump, but when that PPP sh*t and all that sh*t came out, Black people forgave him,” YG said.

 Although YG made it clear that he wasn’t speaking for himself, he revealed that people in his neighborhood told him, “Biden ain’t did nothin’ for us, that n***a Trump passin’ out money!”

This is why Trump insisted on placing his name on the stimulus checks at the time they were issued. I recall many Democratic leaders fixating on the narcissism of the move as opposed to its political shrewdness. Now, years later, he is getting credit for their work.

While Sexyy Red did face some pushback for her Trump-boosting comments, it did not mirror the type of widespread condemnation (even temporary cancellation) some Black celebs faced previously for publicly supporting conservatives.

Even though Trump’s political legitimacy was first acquired by way of his efforts to discredit the first Black president with the racist birther campaign, we have reached the point where some of hip-hop's biggest celebrities, like Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, and Kodak Black have openly embraced him and maintained their fanbases.

Senior Trump advisers have reportedly kept in touch with many of them – part of their underappreciated targeting of Black voters. In recent months, Trump has been promoting videos of Black people defending him and claiming solidarity with Black voters over his 91 criminal charges.

It may be cynical and racist of the Trump campaign to tie Trump’s alleged criminality with the plight of Black people, but cynicism and misinformation are what have fueled his ascension—certainly if combined with the misplaced belief in Trump’s economic policies among some Black voters.

For what it’s worth, the New York Times/ poll from earlier this month matches five high-quality polls from October, revealing that Trump has been averaging 20 percent of Black voter approval. Likewise, in 2022, support for Republican candidates rose slightly among Black voters.

One poll earlier this year revealed that half of Black voters felt Biden had done nothing for Black voters, while others highlighted an erosion Black male support.

Biden has repeatedly stressed, in a rematch with Trump, that he “be compared to the alternative, not the almighty.” 

A lot can change in a year and Biden officials have acknowledged in a separate New York Times piece that the campaign has work to do with respect to Black voters.

It is a fair request, but in order for that comparison to be favorable to Biden, he has to fix the perception problem he has with Black voters. Sure, some could benefit from better information, but telling them to go watch the news won’t help Biden win.

In September and October, the Biden-Harris campaign released its first targeted television and radio ad buy as part of a $25 million paid media campaign in key competitive swing states, explaining the difference Biden/Harris have made in the lives of Black Americans since being voted in. The first observation is Bidenomics, which lowered Black unemployment to the lowest rate ever, then unprecedented funding to HBCUs, and the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure law that addressed neglected infrastructure in Black communities, just to name a few. 

How many of us actually know about these efforts? Biden and his supporters should do better to articulate their policies, particularly in places where the voters he needs to win actually frequent. It’s a problem when I see more targeted ads from Trump than from Biden. We need to hear more about the achievements Biden/Harris have made over the last three years and be open enough to address failures in areas like passing a new Voting Rights bill and national efforts around "police reform" in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Lastly, many who are against the terrorist acts of Hamas are equally dissatisfied with the mass casualties in Gaza and simply tired of war. Yeah, I know how Congress works, but I also know presidents use their political capital as they see fit.

Then there’s the level of misinformation being pumped out by extremist MAGA Republicans, including those located in Russia and China, who specifically target Black voters. The campaign must deliver a clear message to the Black community that the alternative to another four years of the Biden-Harris administration will be detrimental to us all. Trump would not be better on any of these issues, but his aim is to convince you that if you don’t support him, there’s no need to show up at all. 

It’s not a strategy that might actually help Trump garner a historic share of the Black vote, but it could be enough to earn his campaign a solid standing in its longstanding efforts to depress the Black vote. 

 Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times bestselling author of "I Can’t Date Jesus," "I Don’t Want To Die Poor," and the forthcoming "I Finally Bought Some Jordans."