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Donald Trump speaking at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona in August 2017. Michael the Black Man can be seen holding a sign that reads "Blacks for Trump 2020.com".

Michael the Black Man (né Maurice Woodside; April 24, 1959), also known as Michael Symonette and Mikael Israel,[1] is an American political figure from Miami, Florida. An outspoken supporter of US president Donald Trump, he is known for appearances at Trump's rallies before and after the 2016 election, and he often sits behind Trump holding a "Blacks for Trump" sign at these rallies.[2]

Nation of Yahweh

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Woodside first met Nation of Yahweh cult leader Hulon Mitchell Jr., better known as Yahweh ben Yahweh, in 1980. Along with his brother, Ricardo, who joined the cult before he did, Woodside was reported to have played "a big role in the rise and fall of the Nation of Yahweh" (part of the Black Hebrew Israelites movement).[3] His mother, Johnnie Simmons, was also a devout member of the cult.[4] He later left the cult with his sister after his mother died.[5]

He was one of 16 members of the Nation of Yahweh who was arrested and charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in 1990.[6] He was found not guilty of these charges by a Florida jury in 1992, but Yahweh was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison.[2][7] At the trial, Ricardo testified that he and Maurice attempted unsuccessfully to murder Eric Burke, a dissident member of Yahweh's cult, and that Maurice had helped to beat another cult member, Aston Green, unconscious.[8]

Later career and reinvention

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Woodside became a fervent opponent of the Democratic Party,[9] changed his name to Michael Symonette, and began a career as a musician. He later started a radio station, BOSS 104.1 FM, before reinventing himself as "Michael the Black Man".[1][10] He briefly came to media attention in September 2008, when he accused Oprah Winfrey of being the devil, and Barack Obama of being endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan, at one of Obama's speeches in Coral Gables, Florida.[2][11]

In 2012, he spoke to the audience at a Rick Santorum campaign rally in Coral Springs, Florida, where he said that the Democrats were "the worst thing that ever happened to the black man".[12] As of August 2017, he runs multiple websites, including Gods2.com, which he frequently promotes on his shirt at Trump rallies.[1][13] In a 2020 interview with Mother Jones, Woodside credited Yahweh Ben Yahweh for his opposition to the Democratic Party.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Mettler, Katie; Bever, Lindsey (August 23, 2017). "The strange story of that 'Blacks for Trump' guy standing behind POTUS at his Phoenix rally". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Cullen, Terence (August 23, 2017). "'Michael the Black Man' at Trump's Ariz. rally is ex-cult member". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Elfrink, Tim (June 9, 2011). "Yahweh ben Yahweh is back". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  4. ^ Staff (November 8, 1990). "Profile of Yahwehs". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  5. ^ Freedberg, Sydney; Gehrke, Donna (December 31, 1990). "From idealists to 'death angels'?". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  6. ^ Viglucci, Andres (December 3, 1990). "U.S. investigates financial deals by Yahweh cult". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  7. ^ Raymond, Adam K. (October 26, 2016). "The 'Blacks for Trump' Guy Is a Former Cult Member Who Thinks Obama Is the Devil". Daily Intelligencer. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  8. ^ Ocker, Lisa (March 24, 1992). "Yahweh Defendant Denies Murder Charge". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  9. ^ Ovalle, David (July 25, 2010). "North Miami Beach Police: Ex-cult member's son shot at teens". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  10. ^ Elfrink, Tim (October 12, 2016). "The "Blacks for Trump" Guy at Florida Rally Is Former Yahweh Ben Yahweh Cult Member". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  11. ^ Garcia-Roberts, Gus (September 25, 2008). "Michael the Black Man Trashes Obama". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  12. ^ "Santorum Aligns With Controversial South Florida African-American Leaders; One Calls Democrats 'Nazis'". The Huffington Post. January 23, 2012. Archived from the original on April 16, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  13. ^ Walsh, Michael (August 23, 2017). "Blacks for Trump guy has some deeply weird views about Cherokees, Masons and Obama". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017. ...his trademark T-shirt lists a website Gods2.com, which redirects viewers to honestfact.com, a page teeming with outlandish conspiracy theories, compared to which Alex Jones is a voice of calm reason.
  14. ^ Mooney, Michael J. "My Surreal Afternoon With Donald Trump’s Favorite Black Supporter". Mother Jones, 5 Feb 2020.
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