A staunch Trump supporter in Florida has filed a lawsuit alleging that a right-wing political advocacy group he was working for called him a “slave” before he was relieved of his duties for complaining.
Per The Independent, the plaintiff, identified as Carl Baxter, filed the lawsuit against the conservative “grassroots” nonprofit organization, Americans for Prosperity. The organization, which was founded by billionaire brothers and known climate change deniers Charles and David Koch, advocates for “limited government, free markets, and fiscal and regulatory restraint.”
Baxter, who is Black and a known Trump supporter, is the president of the Republican Club of North & East Fort Myers. He has also been publicly seen at several Trump events. He reportedly filed the lawsuit against AFP on Monday.
AFP is said to have shot into the limelight after Barack Obama became president of the United States. The right-wing organization is known for advocating for restrictions on workers’ rights and halting the expansion of Medicaid. The organization is also against green energy campaigns and advocates for minimum wage reduction.
But PolitiFact, which is a nonpartisan fact-checking website, has labeled 42% of AFP’s ads as “false” over the last 14 years. None of their ads have been declared “true.” The group also endorsed Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign before she threw in the towel in March. Haley, a former South Carolina governor, was also Trump’s UN ambassador.
Per The Independent, Trump even registered his displeasure over AFP’s endorsement of Haley in a post on his Truth Social platform. “American’s [sic] for No Prosperity, who made more money during the Trump years than at any other time, are stupid people who are backing Birdbrain as she goes down tubes. Bad timing Charles!” he wrote.
Baxter in the lawsuit describes himself as “an African-American businessman who is active in local politics.” He said he assumed the role of a part-time “grassroots associate” for AFP in June 2023, adding that his responsibilities “consisted of canvassing neighborhoods to talk with voters about AFP-selected policy issues and driving to and from those neighborhoods.”
The lawsuit states that Baxter was supposed to receive a $20-an-hour payment from AFP for the door-knocking duties and be reimbursed for unstated mileage. The lawsuit also described the execution of his duties as “exemplary” after he officially started on June 14, 2023. But the suit states that he started having issues with AFP shortly after.
“Early in Plaintiff’s tenure, AFP’s Deputy Director [of] Grassroots… met Plaintiff at the Oasis restaurant in downtown Ft. Myers and offered Plaintiff $500 in bribe money to provide ‘dirt’ on Cape Coral councilmember, Patty Cummings,” the lawsuit claims.
“Plaintiff declined. AFP’s goal was to stop President Donald J. Trump from winning the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential primaries and, locally, to oppose politicians who support President Trump.”
The lawsuit, according to The Independent, also claims that Baxter felt he was not receiving “credit” from AFP for “all the hours he worked and for all the doors that he knocked on,” and not paying him what he was supposed to earn.
Baxter, on his 12th day as a part-time “grassroots associate” for AFP, ultimately had a phone conversation with his supervisor to highlight his grievances. The lawsuit states that his supervisor, AFP Grassroots Engagement Director Roxanne Buckels, is White.
The lawsuit alleges that during their conversation, Buckels “then proceeded to call [him] a ‘slave’ and demanded that he confirm he is a ‘slave,’ stating as follows: ‘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?’”
Buckels’ comments made Baxter “highly offended” and he “demanded to speak with Ms. Buckels’ immediate supervisor,” per the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that AFP’s state operations director ultimately “terminated Plaintiff’s employment without notice, effective immediately.” He was informed about his termination during a phone call.
The lawsuit states that AFP has yet to pay Baxter his outstanding wages and mileage reimbursement, though its white employees have been settled. The allegations brought against AFP in the suit include race discrimination, retaliation, and wage theft. Besides back pay and legal fees, the plaintiff is also seeking exemplary, punitive, and compensatory damages for his “emotional pain and suffering.”
“My client simply wants justice and to ensure that this does not happen to anyone else,” Baxter’s attorney, Jay Lechter, told The Independent.
AFP also responded to the allegations in a statement. “While we do not comment on current litigation, we take all allegations of violations of the law extremely seriously and will fully investigate those made in this complaint,” the organization said.
