CJ Cary was escorted out of a Donald Trump rally last week in North Carolina and called a “thug” by the Republican presidential nominee.
Cary was not a protester. He was at the rally because he’s a Trump supporter.
And, despite being labeled a “thug” by the very man he supports, he’s still supporting him.
“I still think he is a great man,” Cary told theGrio.com in an interview.
Video from the rally shows a large number of Trump supporters pointing at Cary, signaling security to escort him out for what they thought at the time was “protesting.” Trump, sensing Cary was a protester, can then be heard saying, “we have a protester.”
“By the way,” Trump continued, “Were you paid $1,500 to be a thug? […] You can get him out, get him out.”
But if you think Cary is upset about the ordeal, you would be wrong.
— Trump mistakes black supporter for protester, calls him ‘thug’ —
“Calling me a thug does not indicate that I’m black,” Cary said, “A thug technically can be anybody that’s disruptive and does not respect the rights of others, and that’s what he saw me doing, not being a part of the event and spirit of others.”
In fact, Cary says Donald Trump has been falsely accused of making racist comments against blacks.
“I have not heard Donald Trump say anything racially against a person,” Cary insists.
Cary says he attended the rally to deliver Trump an important document proposal that came to him in a dream.
The document apparently had four key points that explained why Donald Trump should reach out and apologize to some voters that he offended, including women and disabled people, but not African-Americans. Still, Cary says since the event made national headlines he has been bombarded with criticism.
“My house got egged a few days ago, constantly trashed, people have been out on the front lawn, torn up my [Trump] sign,” Cary said. “I refuse to let them make me back down a coward because it’s my right to support whomever I choose.”
— Trump campaign accused of intimidating thousands of black voters —
As for why he is not choosing to vote for Hilary Clinton, Cary believes she “lost her way” and is solely motivated by money.
Trump has not polled well with black supporters. A recent CBS News Poll shows just 4 percent of African Americans support Donald Trump, but Cary says the polls indicate unfounded hatred African-Americans have for Trump and his supporters.
TheGrio.com reached out to the Trump campaign about the incident but did not get a response.
Ashantai Hathaway is a reporter at theGrio. Keep up with her on Twitter @ashantaih83.