Gregory Cheadle

Gregory Edward Cheadle is an American real estate broker and politician.

Gregory Cheadle
Born
Gregory Edward Cheadle

Cleveland, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Websitecheadleforcongress.com

Personal life

Cheadle was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] He grew up in inner-city Oakland, California and Cleveland,[2] as after his parents divorced his time was divided between Oakland where his mother was a secretary and Cleveland where his father was a shoe shiner. He moved to Redding, California in 2001.[3] He is divorced and has three children:[2] two daughters and one son.[1] As of September 13, 2020, he was working on his memoir titled My African American.[2]

Involvement in politics

Trump rally controversy

On June 3, 2016, Cheadle attended a rally in Redding, California for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. During the rally, Trump began speaking about a previous event in which an African-American Trump supporter punched a protester wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit.[4] While Trump was talking, Cheadle shouted "I'm here!".[2] Trump then said "Oh, look at my African American over here. Look at him. Are you the greatest? Do you know what I'm talking about?".[5] According to Cheadle, after the rally ended and Trump was about to leave after greeting supporters, Cheadle yelled out "Uncle Donald, Uncle Donald." Trump, who recognized Cheadle as the man he had called out, told him "You know what I was talking about? Jobs, jobs, jobs," and Cheadle responded "Yeah, jobs."[6]

Trump's remark and use of the possessive "my" attracted criticism, with some viewing it as racist.[7][8] Cheadle was also the subject of criticism, with many criticizing him for attending the rally,[9] and friends and family leaving him angry messages "wanting to know why he let Trump insult him".[2] According to Cheadle, his girlfriend broke up with him because of the incident, as "she was an influential Democrat and she just couldn't handle the pressure of even being seen in public with someone associated with Trump".[2] Cheadle later clarified that he was not a Trump supporter, and said that he had previously gone to a Bernie Sanders rally, but did not go in. He said that he took Trump's comments towards him positively, but noted that many were left uncertain as to their meaning.[7]

Political positions

Cheadle has described himself as an "1856 Republican",[10][11][12] and has said that "the Republican party of today has left its core principles of truth, fairness, and justice".[13] He dislikes the Affordable Care Act, and did not vote for Barack Obama, whom he has described as an "elitist".[2] In 2016, he said that he supports decriminalizing marijuana, because "it has led to mass incarceration via the war on drugs".[14] In 2016, he said on the topic of abortion that "I believe that women have the right of abortion via a convoluted Supreme Court decision, but government should not be responsible for the funding of that right";[15] a 2019 article in The Independent described him as anti-abortion.[16] In 2017, he supported the NFL players who took a knee during the national anthem.[17] In 2018, he linked an increase in vaccines to the increase in autism.[18]

Cheadle announced in 2019 that he was leaving the Republican Party.[19][20][21] He described President Trump as "a rich guy who is mired in white privilege to the extreme", and said he has a "white superiority complex", He also said he is now more critical of Trump's comments in the June 2016 rally, and that "today I wonder to what extent he said that for political gain or for attention.”[22] He said he didn't join the Democratic Party because he disagrees with the party's stance on gun control and its support of abortion rights.[23] In the leadup to the 2020 United States presidential election, he was undecided on who to vote for between Joe Biden and Donald Trump as "you’re asking me to choose between projectile vomit and diarrhea." He praised Biden's vice-presidential pick, Kamala Harris, saying "If I vote for Biden, it’ll probably be because I’m voting for Harris."[2]

Congressional campaigns

Cheadle has run for Congress in California's 1st congressional district five times. He ran as a Republican in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018, losing in the district's primary election each time.[24][25] He ran as an independent in 2020, and also lost the primary election that year.[24]

References
  1. Gascoyne, Tom (February 16, 2012). "The overlooked candidate". Chico News & Review. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. Blake, John (September 13, 2020). "Trump called him 'my African American.' His life hasn't been the same since". CNN. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  3. Barabak, Mark Z. (August 31, 2017). "On Politics: Trump called him 'my African American.' But he condemns the president's treatment of black America". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  4. Corasaniti, Nick (June 3, 2016). "'Look at My African-American Over Here,' Donald Trump Says at Rally". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  5. Walker, Hunter (June 3, 2016). "Trump singles out supporter at rally: 'Look at my African-American over here'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  6. Espino, Jenny (June 3, 2017). "African-American singled out by Trump says no offense". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  7. Booker, Brakkton (June 5, 2016). "Trump's African-American: 'I Am Not A Trump Supporter'". NPR. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  8. "Trump: 'Look at my African American over there'". News24. Agence France-Presse. June 4, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  9. Thompson, Don (June 6, 2016). "Trump's 'my African-American' remark turns critics to target". Associated Press. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  10. Jamieson, Alastair; Tur, Katy (June 4, 2016). "Donald Trump's 'my African-American' supporter: I wasn't offended". MSNBC. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  11. Solis, Nathan (June 5, 2016). "REDDING, California: After Trump rally African-American man feels targeted for not being outraged". Redding Record Searchlight. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  12. Lott, Jeremy (June 3, 2016). "Trump's 'African-American' is running for Congress". Washington Examiner. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  13. Brooksher, Dave (June 2, 2014). "Candidates make their case in final stretch of congressional primary (VIDEO)". The Union. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  14. Lavin, Emily (May 27, 2016). "Congressional candidates Gerlach, Cheadle and Oxley discuss District 1 issues". The Union. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  15. "Gregory Cheadle's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Vote Smart. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  16. Stubley, Peter (September 13, 2019). "Black man Trump called 'my African American' quits Republicans and says president believes white people are superior". The Independent. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  17. Shulman, Alayna (October 20, 2017). "Cheadle flouts status as 'Trump's African-American' with posts on NFL protest". Redding Record Searchlight. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  18. Cooper, Meredith J. (May 3, 2018). "Half a dozen hopefuls". Chico News & Review. Retrieved November 3, 2020. He also linked an increase in vaccines to the increase in autism, saying that will add to the health care problems in the country.
  19. Russo, Carla Herreria (September 12, 2019). "Trump Called Him 'My African American,' But Now He's Ditching GOP To Run For Congress". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  20. Davidson, Arianna (September 16, 2019). "Gregory Cheadle leaves GOP". Deseret News. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  21. Sullivan, Kate (September 18, 2019). "The man Trump called 'my African American' is leaving the GOP". CNN. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  22. Bryant, Miranda (September 12, 2019). "Man Trump called 'my African American' says president has 'white superiority complex'". The Guardian. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  23. Garofoli, Joe (September 20, 2019). "Trump called him 'my African American.' Now he's left the GOP". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  24. "Gregory Cheadle". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  25. Ulrich, Amanda (September 18, 2019). "Gregory Cheadle: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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