Former President Barack Obama's call on Black men to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump "shows the plantation mentality that too many Democrats have," former Rep. Pete King told Newsmax on Sunday.
"If Donald Trump had gone to white voters and said, 'You have to vote for me because you're white and I'm white,' I mean, it would be the ultimate racism," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend."
He added that Trump has made "real inroads" with the Black vote, as "he was treating everyone equally, giving everyone an opportunity."
"To me, it's very condescending to tell Black people at this stage of history that they have to be treated differently," said King.
It also shows "panic" that the Harris campaign would have to call in Obama to lock in the Black vote at this stage of the campaign, said King.
"In practical politics, this should have been a lock-in vote," said King. "This should have been a vote that Kamala Harris could have counted on… the fact that [Obama] used such a condescending argument to me does show panic."
Former Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., also on the program, said that if he was Black, he would feel "insulted to have somebody talk down to me like that, to tell me just because of skin color, 'Brother, you have to step forward.'"
Black voters, he added, are concerned about the economy, crime, the border, and more, but Obama's call to vote for Harris because of their skin color means that he moved to "segregate their vote one more time, segregate their culture, and say you're not in the mainstream."
"I think it's very, very insulting," Kingston said. "It's no different than when Biden said, 'You ain't Black if you're not voting for me.'"
King also discussed the remaining possibility of an October surprise in the race, commenting that the media or special counsel Jack Smith "want to pull the tricks out."
The controversy over Hurricane Helene and Milton benefits, though, shouldn't be part of that surprise because "it's hurricane season, and you have to expect the unexpected," King said.
"The federal government should always be on guard for that," said King. "One of the jobs of the federal government is to be prepared for every possible contingency, certainly hurricanes and tornadoes, during this season."
Meanwhile, King said there may be some surprises ahead in the election, with Trump courting blue states as well as red.
"Just the fact that Trump is going to California, the fact that he's been here in New York and not just in the Republican areas" shows he has "appeal that transcends party lines," said King.
That could lead to some unexpected votes, said King.
"People are getting sick and tired of this quota-type politics that the Democrats are trying to install," he added.
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