Donald Trump may have finally found some black people to talk to
Donald Trump has spent the last few weeks making overt appeals to black voters while speaking in front of crowds that are almost completely white. But, according to a report from Bloomberg News, that may finally be about to change.
According to Bloomberg, Trump is set to visit Great Faith Ministries in Detroit, Michigan over Labor Day weekend where he will address a predominantly black audience about education, unemployment and community safety.
The speech is being organized by the church’s leader, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson. The Detroit News reports Bishop Jackson will also interview Trump on his Christian television program during the visit. According to Bloomberg, Jackson identifies himself as a Democrat but is undecided about who he will support in the fall.
Trump recently came under fire for giving a speech heavily focused on courting black voters to a predominantly white crowd in one of Wisconsin’s whitest counties. Speaking about the unrest that had recently taken place in nearby Milwaukee, Trump told the mostly white crowd, “The main victims of these riots are law-abiding African-American citizens living in these neighborhoods.”
Over the weekend Trump caused another controversy when he attempted to capitalize on the death of Chicago Bulls player Dwayne Wade’s cousin, who was shot while walking with her infant child in Chicago.
Despite immediate criticism for the tweet, Trump referenced Wade’s cousin again before a mostly white crowd at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa.
“She was the mother of four, and was killed while pushing her infant child in a stroller. Shot,” Trump said. “It breaks all of our hearts to see. It’s horrible, it’s horrible and it’s only getting worse. This shouldn’t happen in our country; this shouldn’t happen in America.”
Trump has also faced criticism for repeatedly using simplistic and condescending rhetoric when discussing the experiences of African-Americans. During a speech in Dimondale, Michigan (a mostly white suburb of Lansing) Trump made statements that appeared to suggest all African-Americans are living in poverty. “You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youth is unemployed — what the hell do you have to lose?”
It’s not yet clear if he plans to use similar rhetoric when addressing an actual crowd of black people this weekend. But if he does, it will be interesting to see how it’s received.