MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – During President Donald Trump's speech in Phoenix, it was impossible not to notice Maurice Symonette, also known as Michael Symonette and Maurice Woodside, and better known as "Michael The Blackman."
The South Florida man was standing behind the president Tuesday night, and he was holding his "Blacks for Trump" sign again. He has also worn his "Trump and Republicans are not racist" T-shirt to other Trump rallies around the country where has also gotten preferential sitting arrangements.
His affiliation to the Nation of Yahweh, a black supremacist religious movement founded in Miami, was not on the sign. The conspiracy theorist who supports Republicans said he doesn't know if Trump's campaign organizers were aware of the charges he and other Yahweh followers faced. He was acquitted.
"I really don't know if he knows. I really haven't asked him, but you know Moses was accused of murder but he was still a Messiah," Symonette said about Hulon Mitchell, Jr., the leader of the separatist sect who was convicted of conspiring to murder whites as the cult's initiation rite.
The 58-year-old self-proclaimed minister wore his message on a T-shirt Wednesday to show his support at an event in Doral with Vice President Mike Pence.
Outside of the convention center in Phoenix, protesters and police officers clashed. The signs were not as friendly to Trump: "Toxic Trump" and "Lock Him Up!" There were also pictures of the president with a Hitler-style mustache.
"I love Trump because he is letting the real white man and the real black man get some money," Symonette said during a long rant mentioning Clinton and his position on federal taxes and government regulation.
Symonette said he runs the Boss Group Ministries, also known as the Full Gospel of Christ Fellowship, out of Miami-Dade. When Symonette attended Trump's rally last year, some conservatives used Symonette's sign as a hashtag to show that Republicans aren't racist.
Records show Symonette ran Boss Title, Virtuous Women United and Freedom Fighters International out of 1175 NE 125 St. in North Miami. He ran Boss Group Ministries and Boss Group Foundations out of 15020 South River Dr., near Opa-locka.
Last year, the FCC issued a warning against the organization for running an unauthorized radio broadcast and authorities responded to the organization's home to investigate two deaths.
Symonette said the Trump campaign doesn't pay him to attend his campaign rallies with the "Blacks for Trump" sign and he waits in line like everybody else.
"I raise my own money ... One time I had a companion pass and when I had that companion pass I was flying everywhere because I could fly for free so a lot of times me, him and the brothers would drive to the events."