Deleted Forbes piece by 'DEI expert' warns Trump may use assassination attempt to court black voters
University of Southern California professor Shaun Harper recently wrote an op-ed warning that Donald Trump may use the assassination attempt on his life as another appeal to black voters.
The Forbes article was published on July 13 but has since been deleted, as reported by The Daily Caller and confirmed by Harper in a statement provided to Campus Reform.
Shaun Harper, a University of Southern California professor and self-described “DEI expert,” recently wrote an article warning that Donald Trump may use the assassination attempt on his life as another appeal to black voters.
The Forbes article was published on July 13 but has since been deleted, as reported by the Daily Caller and confirmed by Harper in a statement provided to Campus Reform.
After describing potential connections between Trump’s mugshot and support among black voters, Harper wrote in the article that “[h]opefully, being shot doesn’t become a similarly problematic strategy to link Trump with an experience that far too many Black people have.”
“[T]here’s a chance that his raised fist at the Pennsylvania rally becomes erroneously connected to the Black people who were marching with fists raised in rallies in summer 2020 and at other moments in American history,” Harper continued. “Let’s hope not.”
Harper additionally adopted what seems to be a pro-gun control stance in the article, suggesting that Trump could potentially “seize the apparent assassination attempt against him as an opportunity to meaningfully address the epidemic of gun violence in America.”
In a statement provided to Campus Reform, Harper claimed that the article is not meant to suggest that the assassination attempt “makes Trump more appealing” to black voters. “I would never, ever say that more Black people are going to vote for Trump because of the shooting,” Harper wrote.
Harper is the provost professor of education and business at USC. He is allegedly “one of the nation’s most highly respected racial equity experts,” according to his biography on the university’s website.
“Dr. Harper’s research focuses primarily on race, gender, and other dimensions of equity in an array of organizational contexts, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporations,” his biography states.
He is also listed as the USC Race and Equity Center founder and executive director.
Harper has long promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. In 2022, Harper was appointed to the National Board for Education Sciences due to his experience working with DEI.
[RELATED: Prof claims ‘Black people’ wish shooter had killed Trump to cause ‘the death of evil’]
Last year, Harper took a firm stance in favor of DEI following the Supreme Court’s decision that race-based affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional.
“It is very clear to me that there is a well-organized and funded mis- and disinformation campaign on DEI and diversity,” Harper said at the time. “Where is our movement?”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Southern California for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
