In an effort to court the black vote, Donald Trump addressed a largely black congregation in Detroit on Saturday, and in doing so, he called for “a civil rights agenda for our time.” Trump, who adopted a reserved tone while reading a prepared speech, addressed the Great Faith Ministries and discussed the need to fix the economic hardships that have affected the African-American community.
While many of Trump’s speeches have adopted a bombastic tone, his speech on Saturday was more toned down. Trump told his audience that the “nation is too divided,” and he wants to work with the African-American community to provide more jobs, which he promised he would elaborate on at a later time. He said this visit will be a starting point for future solutions:
“We talk past each other and not to each other. And those who seek office do not do enough to step into the community and learn what’s going on. I’m here today to learn, so that we can together remedy injustice in any form, and so that we can also remedy economics so that the African-American community can benefit economically through jobs and income and so many other different ways. I believe we need a civil rights agenda for our time.”
While in Detroit, Trump also accompanied former rival Ben Carson, who grew up in Southwest Detroit, to tour areas of the city that he promised he would improve upon. But outside of the ministry where Trump spoke, hundreds of people protested his visit, with CNN reporting that several tried to rush a gate next to the church’s entryway.
The scene here outside the church where Trump is visiting. Things have calmed down a little after a tense showdown. pic.twitter.com/mhNQUiYjLe
— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) September 3, 2016
Anti Trump protest in #Detroit #Trump pic.twitter.com/PM5VG8jNoN
— Ruth Ravve (@RuthRavve) September 3, 2016
Here you can see police presence and size of protest vs Trump in Detroit. Reports said he planned tour of community pic.twitter.com/2pHsjSuJNQ
— Fernando Peinado (@FernandoPeinado) September 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/p4riah/status/772074934193549312
Trump has appeared to make an effort to try to win over a number of different voters the past few weeks. His recent trip to Mexico and his visit to Detroit shows that he’s trying to shift perceptions. But if voters are going to vote for him based on these dance moves from inside the church, he may lose.
Don't think @realDonaldTrump is going to win any votes with these dance moves. #TrumpInDetroit pic.twitter.com/2SEOeIquXi
— Matt Wilstein (@mattwilstein) September 3, 2016
(Via CNN)