Gregory Cheadle, the Redding, Calif., businessman and perennial candidate who then-candidate Donald Trump dubbed "my African American" at a 2016 rally, has left the Republican party in part because of his disappointment with the president's approach to racial issues. Cheadle, who is running in 2020 to represent California's 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives, said multiple factors played into his decision, beginning with the president's attacks on former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the National Anthem.

"I was really hurt (by that) because I was in favor of him taking the knee," Cheadle said. "The overwhelming majority of Republicans in my congressional district were against me, and that was disheartening because no one really gave a rip about the plight of blacks."