Fans were confused after White House senior advisor Katrina Pierson thanked Ice Cube for his “willingness to step up and work with” the Trump administration, and the rapper took to Twitter to clarify his involvement following some criticism.
“Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me,” he tweeted on Wednesday (Oct. 14). “Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.”
Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me. Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.
— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 14, 2020
Half an hour later, he noted that there are no good sides after a fan used a Star Wars reference to share their disappointment about the rapper’s work with the Trump administration. “Every side is the Darkside for us here in America. They’re all the same until something changes for us,” he tweeted. “They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan.”
Every side is the Darkside for us here in America. They’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan. https://t.co/xFIXXpOs8B
— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 14, 2020
He continued to defend his position early the next morning. “When we created the Contract With Black America we excepted to talk to both sides of the isle,” he tweeted early on Oct. 15. “Talking truth to power is part of the process.”
Black progress is a bipartisan issue. When we created the Contract With Black America we excepted to talk to both sides of the isle. Talking truth to power is part of the process.
— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 15, 2020
Back in July, Ice Cube called on politicians to sign his “Contract with Black America,” which laid out 13 areas for improvement related to police reform, prison reform, bank lending and more.
“The problems facing America are too deep and wide to simply reform one area or another,” the contract reads. “Long-lasting solutions demand a comprehensive thorough ‘rethink’ of America so that each new approach in each area supports the success of the others. This Contract with Black America will provide conceptual approaches in several areas.”
This is an updated version of A CONTRACT WITH BLACK AMERICA. We’ve been working with a lot of experts and great people during these last few weeks. The document is much stronger and much more detailed. We will continue towards perfection. https://t.co/DyIk5F5x7y
— Ice Cube (@icecube) July 19, 2020
The president’s administration absorbed some of the CWBA into the White House’s “Platinum Plan,” with Ice Cube’s help. Trump’s “Platinum Plan” aims to “increase access to capital in black communities by almost $500 billion” by creating 500,000 black-owned businesses and 3 million new jobs for the black community, plus strengthening immigration and policing policies.