It’s an understatement to say Donald Trump is not very popular with black Americans. A recent poll placed the candidate’s favorability among the group at zero. Realizing that Trump stands no chance of getting elected without at least some support from the African-American community, he has recently set out on an attempt to win black voters to his side.
That attempt has largely been an effort to explain to white audiences why black people should back him and the Republican Party. And his pitch has been that of a desperate man, telling African-Americans “What the hell do you have to lose?” by voting for him. But his words largely continue to fall on deaf ears.
Following criticism of his bizarre attempt at minority outreach that has so far has not involved his actually talking to any minority groups, Trump went to a predominantly black church in Detroit on Saturday. And from some of the photos of that visit, he might as well have stayed home.
Politico reporter Shane Goldmacher tweeted this photo from the back of the sanctuary, showing there were far more empty seats than parishioners present.
Nowhere near a full crowd as Trump enters (far left) pic.twitter.com/kL1AlVukG4
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) September 3, 2016
But there was a sizeable crowd of protesters outside who were letting everybody know they weren’t buying what the huckster inside was selling. Goldmacher shared a shot of a handout that was being distributed to the crowd.
Handout outside Detroit church Trump just spoke at features Trump and Hiltler pic.twitter.com/c9DTreBMHr
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) September 3, 2016
Inside the attendees were greeted to “teleprompter Trump,” as the candidate spoke in a stilted, awkward fashion similar to how he behaved on Wednesday, when he met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. He talked about bringing communities together, and how everybody has a right to live in safe neighborhoods and work at good jobs. He also seemed to feel a need to remind a community that certainly understands how they were helped by our 16th president that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. Of course he didn’t go on to explain how today’s Republican Party bears little resemblance to the one that Lincoln joined in the 1800s.
Trump may have made a few friends — CNN says before he spoke he sat in the pews and took a selfie with a church member, then held a baby. But by and large it appears that most of the small group was not impressed, as Goldmacher tweeted.
Just spoke with one church attendee, Chuck Westbrook, who said Trump’s tone here was”like a weak little whisper from Donald Trump.”
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) September 3, 2016
This woman looping through the church parking lot pic.twitter.com/bh6eJYOB9u
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) September 3, 2016
This is the second setback Trump’s “outreach” to the black community has suffered in just one day. Earlier on Saturday, Trump surrogate Pastor Mark Burns, a black minister from South Carolina, was revealed to be a liar who distorted his biography on his website.
It will be interesting to see if and when Trump tries something like this again. Most likely he will now go back to “reaching out” by explaining to white people why black people should vote for him.
Here are a couple of clips of Trump’s address, tweeted by ABC News:
.@realDonaldTrump in Detroit: “The African-American faith community has been one of God’s greatest gifts to America” https://t.co/ZDvpI2HFI1
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 3, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump in African-American church: “I’m here today to learn, so that we can together remedy injustice” https://t.co/dswRMGmLiW
— ABC News (@ABC) September 3, 2016
Featured image via ABC News screen capture
