Ice Cube | Ice Cube Explains Why He Worked With Donald Trump’s Team, But Draws Pushback In Heat Of 2020 Presidential Race

When a senior adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign thanked Ice Cube for working with the White House on a plan for Black America, it immediately triggered questions of who he was supporting in 2020. Ice Cube explained shortly afterward on Twitter that he was contacted by both parties about his Contract with Black America, which includes an array of policy proposals, including judicial reform, lending reform and FCC licensing. “Both parties contacted me,” he wrote. “Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.” Responding to criticism that he was now “working for the darkside,” Ice Cube wrote, “Every side is the Darkside for us here in America. They’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan.” The swift reaction to Ice Cube’s work with Trump’s team came after Katrina Pierson, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, thanked Ice Cube on Twitter. “Shoutout to @icecube for his willingness to step up and work with @realDonaldTrump Administration to help develop the #PlatinumPlan Leaders gonna lead, haters gonna hate. Thank you for leading!” Among other things, the Platinum Plan calls for increasing access to capital. In the heat of one of the most polarized presidential election campaigns, though, Ice Cube’s work with Trump triggered suspicions that it was a way for the president to try to draw from Joe Biden’s support among African Americans. Rapper Kanye West has been running an independent presidential campaign, but has got assistance from Republican operatives to try to secure ballot access in some states. Toure, the author and podcast host, wrote on Twitter, “Trump’s proven that he’s our enemy. Never think he’ll be there for us. How can Cube not see that he’s being used?” Roland Martin wrote, “The Trump Platinum Plan is the Aluminum Foil Plan. I have read @icecube’s Contract With Black America and there is NOTHING in Trump’s plan that is similar. NOTHING.” Ice Cube in August, 2016 made it clear that he would not endorse Trump that year. “I will never endorse a mothaf—- like Donald Trump! EVER!!!” he wrote. Jeff Kwatinetz, Ice Cube’s business partner, said in an email that the entertainer “has not endorsed Trump. He wants the country to address 450 years of Black oppression and will talk to anyone who is in a position to help.” Kwatinetz’s former business associate at The Firm was Steve Bannon , the former chief strategist for the president. But Kwatinetz said that it was “certainly insulting” to even ask if Bannon was somehow involved in coordinating Ice Cube’s work with Trump. In a video posted several days ago, Ice Cube said, “No president has done right by us. I don’t trust none of them. So putting our hopes and dreams behind any of them just don’t work. We got to make them do what we want to do, and there is only a few ways to do that.” He said that Republicans “moved the agenda a lot because of what we said. They put $500 billion on the table, but who knows? Who knows what is going to really happen?” In some not particularly chill news, rapper and actor Ice Cube has apparently been working with Trump’s reelection campaign on issues pertaining to the Black community. The unlikely partnership was first made known to the public yesterday via Katrina Pierson, a senior advisor for the Trump administration, who tweeted, “Shoutout to @icecube for his willingness to step up and work with @realDonaldTrump Administration to help develop the #PlatinumPlan,” before including a link to the plan, which claims that the Trump administration will “increase access to capital” by almost $500 billion in Black communities, create 3 million new jobs, provide more affordable health care, improve access to better education and job opportunities, designate Juneteenth as a national holiday and other promises that have not happened in the past 4 years, but will purportedly happen if Trump gets another term in office. Umm… sure, Donald. Fans of Ice Cube were dismayed by the news that the rapper was aiding and abetting an administration that has been detrimental to the Black community, prompting Ice Cube to clarify his relationship with the Trump administration, admitting that he’s attempted to work with Republican and Democratic politicians on his “Contract with Black America,” his plan for the nation to address systemic issues facing the Black community which he introduced in early June. “Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me,” Ice Cube tweeted. “Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.” For many, however, Ice Cube’s justification for working with the Trump administration was not good enough. One Twitter user, @dannymoshow, replied to Ice Cube’s initial tweet, writing, “My Hip-Hop HERO @icecube is working with the Darkside.” Ice Cube responded, tweeting “Every side is the Darkside for us here in America. THey’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan.” Throughout the 2020 election cycle, Ice Cube has been vocal about his distrust of both parties, demanding that both parties directly address how they will help the Black community. In recent weeks, Ice Cube has made his nonpartisanship known, in an 8-minute long video posted to Instagram on October 11 detailing his concerns with both parties. “No president has done right by us. So, I don’t trust none of them. Putting our hopes and dreams behind any of them just don’t work. … I’ve been making contacts with them, trying to talk about these real issues. Straight up, I believe the Democrats have been nice. … I don’t really see them pushing their policies in any different direction.” Later on in the video, he addresses his involvement with the Trump Administration and expresses skepticism as to whether they will deliver on their many promises. “We also met with the Republicans. … They’ve moved their agenda a lot because of what we’ve said. They put $500 billion on the table. But who knows what’s really gon’ happen. I just know one of them is gonna win. And I don’t know if it really matters to us.” While it may not matter to Ice Cube, it certainly matters to other Black celebrities and entertainers, who have made their disappointment with Ice Cube known. “Ice Cube’s are out,” tweeted Jackée Harry, with a picture of Ice. “We’re using nuggets now.” And who are we to go against Lisa Landry?