Black Trump Supporter Sues Republican Group For Racial Discrimination After Being Called A 'Slave'
Carl Baxter, a Black Donald Trump supporter from Florida, claims he had been underpaid for his work canvassing neighborhoods while promoting Republican policies just two weeks into his new job.
Upon raising his concerns with his white supervisor Roxanne Buckels, Baxter was reportedly called a "slave" and told to be thankful for any payment, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Monday.
The lawsuit alleges Buckels said, "I know you are doing the work and I can see the doors that you are hitting on my iPad on my side. At least you are working as a slave (sarcastically) but at least you are getting paid, many slaves today do get paid, many used to never get paid. Are you a slave?"
Baxter, who leads the Republican Club of North and East Fort Myers, was deeply offended by Buckels' alleged comment and requested that he speak with her supervisor, Tim Hennessy. His lawsuit has since led to online backlash against him.
One commenter on X wrote, "(A) a Black guy sucked into a white-supremacy hate cult – he needs to sit in his stupidity. (B) I hope he loses. You don't join a white-supremacist group then get mad when they discriminate against you. Principle of the matter."
Another user remarked, "What did little Carl Baxter expect? He probably wasn't wearing his 'n word' for Trump uniform."
According to Baxter's lawsuit, Buckels' supervisor, Tim Hennessy, who allegedly tried to persuade Baxter to gather compromising information on a local politician, joined a call to discuss the situation. This led to another call involving Jamie Franz, an operations manager for Americans for Prosperity, the conservative nonprofit that had employed Baxter.
Franz reportedly fired Baxter during the call. Despite being terminated over two months ago, Baxter has not yet received his due wages or mileage reimbursements, as stated in the lawsuit filed by Jay P. Lechner of Lechner Law in Tampa.
The lawsuit names Americans for Prosperity and ICC Compliance LLC (doing business as TalentWave) as defendants, accusing them of racial discrimination, retaliation, and wage theft. It claims that these organizations treated Baxter unfairly compared to non-African American employees.
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Baxter was hired as a grassroots organizer on June 14, with an agreed rate of $20 per hour and weekly payments. His role involved canvassing and discussing policy with voters for Americans for Prosperity, a group founded by Charles and David Koch, neither of whom supported Trump.
Photos on Baxter's Facebook page often show him in a MAGA cap, standing among white Republicans. The lawsuit also alleges he was offered $500 by Tim Hennessy to provide damaging information on Cape Coral City Council member Patty Cummings, who recently pleaded guilty to fraud charges. Baxter refused the offer, citing Cummings' alignment with Trump.
The lawsuit claims that Americans for Prosperity aimed to undermine Trump's bid for the 2024 Republican nomination and opposed local politicians who supported him.
