Podcast Summary: "Understanding the Black Conservative Vote with Janiyah Thomas"

Podcast: Conversations With Coleman
Host: Coleman Hughes
Guest: Janiyah Thomas (former Black Media Director for Trump 2024)
Date: September 20, 2025
Duration: Mini-episode

Overview

In this bonus mini-episode of Conversations with Coleman, Coleman Hughes sits down with Janiyah Thomas, the former Black Media Director for Trump’s 2024 campaign. The conversation explores Thomas's upbringing, her path into conservative politics, and the challenges and strategies of Republican outreach to Black voters. The two discuss topics including crime in Black communities, law enforcement policy, media narratives, Charlie Kirk’s assassination and media reaction, the role of family structure, affirmative action debates, and the shifting dynamics of conservative media engagement. The discussion is candid and often personal, offering insight into both Thomas’s worldview and the broader conversation on the intersection of race, politics, and media.

Janiyah Thomas: Background and Political Origins

[01:54–03:18]

• Thomas’s Upbringing:

  • Born in Virginia, raised in South Carolina, a "very red state" with conservative principles both at home and in her environment.
  • Early interest in communications and journalism more than politics itself.
  • Entered politics via internships and media relations roles, including at the GOP, Tim Scott’s campaign, and the Republican National Committee.

• Her Political Shift:

  • Sparked during a "Black political thought" class amidst BLM and COVID-19.
  • Observed a gap between academic/political ideologies and genuine community progress:

    "I was just like...black people are better were better off in the 50s than they are now? So it's like, what was the point of all these different ideologies?" (03:18 – Thomas)

  • Realized personal and familial values aligned more with conservatism.

Black Voters, Media Strategy, and Cultural Relevance

[04:00–05:12]

• Campaign Media Strategy:

  • Identifies disconnect: “Sometimes Republicans miss the mark on how to communicate to specific communities because they don't always have people that are in tune with the culture.” (04:12 – Thomas)
  • Targeted Black men through podcasts and digital platforms, highlighting general distrust among Black Americans towards mainstream media:

    “Every black man I know, all they watch is podcasts. Nobody watches CNN...they're all very in tune in the podcast world.” (04:38 – Thomas)

• Effectiveness:

  • Trump’s perceived authenticity cited as key to his appeal among young Black men:

    “I think he's very authentic and real and a straight shooter. And I think people like that...he can communicate to a 5 year old, he can communicate to a 12 year old. Like, I think his message resonates with people across the board.” (05:24 – Thomas)

Crime, Policing, and the Black Community

[05:50–10:17]

• Coleman’s Perspective:

  • Not a Republican, but conservative on crime:

    “I think more police is better. I think that crime, in a way should be viewed as what people on the left would call a social justice issue…” (05:50 – Coleman)

  • Critique of the narrative of police as “white supremacist” force and police shootings statistics from BLM era.

• Thomas’s Response:

  • Strong aversion to the term "white supremacy" as programming Black people to feel inferior:

    “...the term white supremacy obviously has a negative connotation. But it's like almost like this backwards programming that has made black people believe that someone else is better than you.” (08:55 – Thomas)

  • Attributes crime issues partially to breakdown in family structure and parenting, as well as lack of community reality in national media reporting.

• On National Guard in Black Communities:

  “A lot of black people want more police in their communities. They want to feel safer...that’s what the president’s been trying to do, bringing in the National Guard to protect people in these communities.” (09:45 – Thomas)

The Effect of Riots and Elite Liberal Narratives

[10:17–12:49]

• Ferguson Case Study:
  • Coleman recalls visiting Ferguson five years post-riots; many Black-owned businesses remain vacant.
  • Critique of "luxury beliefs" among liberal elites who justify riots but never see long-term effects:

    “…if you go back to 2014, you probably have some New York Times op ed writer basically apologizing for the riot...that same writer is never gonna go back there years later and look at how the ripple effect of that riot has actually affected people that live in that community.” (10:38 – Coleman)

Crime in D.C.: Juvenile Offenders, Parenting, and the Limits of Policing

[12:49–16:28]

• Washington, D.C.'s Unique Problem:

  • Juvenile, not adult, offenders driving crime.
  • Lack of family oversight: "Any given weekend at like 7 o'clock, like there's just kids running rampant with no parents. Like where, where are the parents at?" (12:56 – Thomas)
  • National Guard: Effective as a temporary solution but not viable long-term.

• Enforcing Consequences:

  • Advocates lower age for criminal liability and stricter enforcement to incentivize parental involvement.

• Coleman’s Harlem Story:

  • Illustration of severe youth crime:

    "Come to find out a couple days later, it was a 13 year old kid that stabbed her to death...what are we supposed to think of situations where we have 13 and 14 year old kids committing crimes?" (14:29 – Coleman)

  • Thomas: Situational stance; murder justifies treating teens as adults, but most solutions boil down to family structure, especially present fathers.

Law and Order, Political Optics, and Trump

[17:47–19:22]

• National Guard and Political Motivation:

  • Coleman asks if Trump’s move is political optics or genuine.
  • Thomas:

    “I think the president does have a genuine concern for crime...he's using his power as the president to protect communities and make these neighborhoods safer.” (18:25 – Thomas)

  • Counterpoint: Coleman highlights Trump's inconsistent law and order stance, referencing January 6th.

• Thomas’s Defense:

  • Trump’s leadership style is “strong”; actions judged by current effect, not past perceived inconsistencies.

Charlie Kirk’s Assassination and Political Violence

[20:01–24:17]

• Media/Online Reaction:

  • Thomas: Saddened and disgusted by those politicizing Kirk’s killing:

    “Turning that into a political statement is very foul. It's distasteful, and it just shows that...a lot of the people on the left don't [value Christian morals]. If they do value that, we don't see it.” (20:28 – Thomas)

• Coleman’s Nuance:

  • Acknowledges both virtues and vices in Kirk’s public life, stresses absolute condemnation of assassination for speech.

• Hypocrisy on Both Sides:

  • Thomas:

    “I think a lot of people on our side, we don't always get it right...there's hypocrisy on both sides.” (23:34 – Thomas)

  • Criticizes right-wing cancel culture as mirroring left-wing tactics.

Media, Free Speech, and Affirmative Action Controversy

[24:17–30:53]

• Government Pressure on Media:

  • Discusses FCC alleged pressure on ABC regarding Jimmy Kimmel suspension after inappropriate joke about Kirk shooting.
  • Thomas:

    “ABC...they're full of shit. I don't support the network, can't stand them...journalism as a whole has become like this.” (25:12 – Thomas)

  • Both agree that governmental pressure on media is dangerous, regardless of party.

• Shadow Banning and Media Bias:

  • Points out distrust of mainstream media among Black voters, growing preference for podcasts and independent platforms:

    “Most people have found like a sort of distrust in mainstream news...a lot of black people don't trust the mainstream news as well.” (27:44 – Thomas)

• Charlie Kirk Affirmative Action Quote:

  • Fake quote circulated; clarification: Kirk criticized specific Black women, not Black women in general.
  • Thomas:

    “If someone is admitting to this, then it alludes to...this other perception that maybe you weren't as qualified as you thought you were...but I do believe that, like, what he said isn't racist.” (30:11 – Thomas)

Final Thoughts: Accountability Over Finger-Pointing

[31:10–31:49]

• Thomas’s Parting Message:
  • Emphasizes accountability in Black communities, support for law and order, but acknowledges importance of self-responsibility:

    “I think we focus so much as a society of pointing the finger at other people, that we don't want to be accountable for our own situations and our own problems...as black people in these communities, we need to focus on being accountable for our own actions as well.” (31:10 – Thomas)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Black Conservative Movement:

  "As I grew up, you know, all of my family's principles have been very much very conservative. And...just the neighborhood I grew up in, the schools I went to, like, we're all very conservative, and that's kind of how I lean more towards the Republican Party." (03:18 – Thomas)

• On Media Strategy:

  "Getting more in the weeds of those type of platforms is very useful in the campaign." (04:58 – Thomas)

• On Family Structure and Crime:

  "A lot of this boils down to having, you know, family structure and especially having a father at home." (16:28 – Thomas)

• On Double Standards and Cancel Culture:

  “You can say what you want to say until you don't like what they're saying...when it comes to the opposing side saying things we don't like, then, now we're trying to cancel them. At the same time, I think we should be better than that.” (23:44 – Thomas)

• On Affirmative Action Critique:

  “Admitting to being a part of affirmative action alludes to the fact that maybe you might not have been as qualified as you thought you were...But I do believe that, like, what he said isn't racist.” (30:11 – Thomas)

Key Timestamps

• Janiyah Thomas's Story & Political Journey: [01:54–03:18]
• GOP Black Outreach Strategy: [04:00–05:24]
• Crime and Policing Discussion: [05:50–10:17]
• National Guard in D.C.: [12:49–16:28], revisited [17:47–19:22]
• Charlie Kirk Assassination Reaction: [20:01–24:17]
• Media, Free Speech, Bias: [24:17–27:44]
• Affirmative Action Controversy: [28:23–30:53]
• Final Thoughts on Accountability: [31:10–31:49]

This episode provides a nuanced, sometimes provocative perspective on Black conservatism, media narratives, urban crime, and the interplay between political culture and policy.