By: Reuters DETROIT June 16, 2024 05:44 IST Follow Us Facebook Twitter whatsapp Donald Trump ventured on Saturday where few Republican presidential candidates tread – the city of Detroit, attending a community forum as part of a push to peel Black voters from President Joe Biden ahead of November's election. Trump's appearance at a Black church drew a mix of curious local residents and die-hard supporters, but little in the way of protest. Both Trump and Biden, a Democrat, have targeted Michigan as a must-win state where every vote may make a difference, and the Trump campaign argues an opportunity exists to win over Black voters, particularly men, who may be attracted to the former president's economic and border-security policies.
But Detroit is also a place Trump denigrated four years ago as “corrupt” as he argued the 2020 election results there could not be trusted. At the 180 Church on the west side of the city, Trump sat on stage at a table flanked by a panel of members of the local community, including small-business owners and activists. The event was moderated by US Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, a contender to be Trump's vice-presidential pick.
Trump focused on his core messages, blasting the Biden administration over high inflation, crime and illegal migration, which he said has harmed Black Americans in particular. “They're coming into your community, and they're taking your jobs,” Trump said, without presenting evidence. “We have to get them.