Black men explain why they ditched Democrats and voted for Trump: He was was authentic with the community

President-elect Donald Trump doubled his support among black men from last cycle while likely amassing the largest percentage of nonwhite voters for a Republican presidential hopeful since Richard Nixon.Black men opted for Trump by about 21%, while black women backed him at 7%, with 12% of black supporters voting for him overall — up from 8% eight years prior, according to Edison Research.For black men who shifted to Trump, the change was the culmination of growing dismay over Democrats’ attitude toward them, a rebellion against being pigeon-holed politically due to their race, and broadly warming up to GOP policies.

There was also a lingering sense that Trump was someone with whom they could relate.“By the president getting that mug shot, he was able to see through a black man’s eyes,” Duke Tanner, a former undefeated professional boxer whom Trump granted clemency, told The Post.“He was able to really see through a black man’s eyes at what we go through and [have] been going through for years.”Tanner was arrested at the age of 24 for a drug conspiracy for which he was later convicted and sentenced to life behind bars, a stint that kept him away from his son.

He has since penned a book on his journey, “My son didn’t want to learn how to ride a bike because I wasn’t there to teach him.He wanted me to teach him how to ride a bike — not his uncle, not his grandpa,” Tanner recalled.

But just over four years ago, Trump intervened and “saved the day,” Tanner recounted.He also credited Trump for helping others in a similar situation by signing the First Step Act, which was aimed at reducing certain federal sentences and reforming the prison system.

Prior to Trump’s presidency, Tanner surmised that he probably would’ve identified more with the Democrats, but he was impressed with the soon-to-be 47th president’s policies.“As a black person, no matter what, you [were] taught from [when you were] a kid that you were a Democrat,” he...