Did Trump Win Over Black Men or Did the Democrats Lose Them? with Astead Herndon

Conversations with Coleman

The Free Press

Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 614 Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today I sit down with journalist Astead Herndon, whose award-winning political reporting has appeared in The New York Times, on CNN, and now in Vox, where he serves as editorial director. Astead and I explore how President Donald Trump’s 2016 victory reshaped our own views of American politics. We disagree—cordially—about how much of Trump’s rise was driven by racism, and what that moment revealed about the country. From there, we discuss why more black voters have been moving to the right, and what that shift says about ideology, class, and generational change. We also dive into Astead’s take on New York City politics, including Zohran Mamdani’s victory, touching on debates over Israel and Palestine, and Mamdani’s pivot away from “Defund the Police” and his evolving stance on rent control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What I've dedicated my life to is revenge.
0:04.0	A brand new drama based on the best-selling novel.
0:07.0	They think they're better than us.
0:08.0	Who do you think you are?
0:10.0	I'm going to prove to them that they're wrong.
0:12.0	She's punishing me.
0:13.0	You destroyed my family.
0:14.0	I will not rest until I've destroyed yours.
0:17.0	A woman of substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9.
0:20.0	Welcome to another episode of Conversations with Coleman.
0:23.8	My guest today is Aestead Herndon.
0:26.9	Ested is a journalist who has focused on election coverage for the New York Times, as well as for CNN.
0:33.3	His journalism has won several awards, and he's recently joined Vox, where he is a podcast host and an editorial director.
0:42.4	In this episode, we talk about how Trump's win in 2016 shaped both of our political outlooks.
0:48.9	We disagree on the extent to which Trump's first win was motivated by racism.
0:53.7	We talk about why black voters have been was motivated by racism. We talk about why black voters
0:55.5	have been moving to the right. We talk about Mamdani's recent victory in New York City. We discuss
1:01.8	his views on Israel, his pivot away from defund the police, his views on rent control, and
1:08.0	much more. So without further ado, Astead Herndon.
1:21.0	Astead Herndon, thanks so much for coming on my show. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
1:25.8	So you've been a much celebrated and award-winning journalist for some time now.
1:32.6	I think you joined New York Times in 2018. Is that right?
	...

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