Former President Donald Trump announced the launch of the “Black Americans for Trump” campaign on Saturday (June 15), aiming to gather support from a diverse range of figures in Detroit, including elected officials, athletes, celebrities, community leaders, and pastors, to enhance African American voter support.
The former president made this announcement at the 180 Churches, a gathering place for African Americans, which states on its website that “the church is God’s solution for the complex issues facing American cities.”
President Trump is attempting to position himself as a better choice for African American voters than President Joe Biden. He mentioned that the African American community is being “harmed” by illegal immigrants, stating, “They are taking your jobs.”
The church is also conducting outreach in Pontiac, Flint, and Saginaw. Senior pastor Lorenzo Sewell expressed gratitude for President Trump’s efforts to improve the poverty-stricken communities, where people often struggle to choose between paying rent, fixing their cars, and providing for their children.
Sewell told Epoch Times, “For 56 years, Democrats have been in control (of Detroit). I’m not saying that Democrats are wrong, I’m just asking, ‘Where is the change?'”
While African American voters have traditionally supported Democratic candidates, recent polls show a decline in support.
A poll conducted by The New York Times / Siena College in May across six swing states found that 23% of African American voters intend to vote for former President Trump. Another poll by The Wall Street Journal in April showed that in seven battleground states, 30% of African American men plan to vote for the presumed Republican nominee.
Former President Trump won 8% of the African American vote in 2020. Given that President Joe Biden received less than a 3% margin in Michigan in 2020, even a small shift in African American voters could have significant implications.
The former president acknowledged that Michigan could play a crucial role in the November election. He stated, “This is a very important area for us.”
Karla Butler from Toledo, Ohio, told Epoch Times that while African American voters turning to the Republican Party is real, it has not reached a tipping point yet.
Butler leads a chapter named Blexit, which aims to impart conservative principles and empower the African American community to be victors rather than victims.
Sewell stated that this shift is enough to sway the state’s election.
Butler mentioned, “He (referring to Trump) may not win Wayne County, but he can overperform and win Michigan.”
Alveda King, one of the African American leaders supporting the former president and the chair of the Center for the American Dream, expressed her support for President Trump in a campaign declaration, stating, “Praying always for my friend, President Donald John Trump. His efforts for our communities, supporting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unexcelled.”
Later in the day, Former President Trump attended an event called Turning Point Action (TPA), which aims to mobilize and recruit volunteers for voter engagement and election integrity efforts in battleground states.
While the event had around 8,000 attendees predominantly white, there were also prominent African American speakers, including former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Representative Byron Donalds (Republican from Florida). They joined the former president at the 180 Churches event.
Carson echoed the theme of rejecting liberal politics and embracing conservatism. He emphasized that voters need opportunities, not victimhood, and believed that voters should easily choose to support former President Trump.
Carson said, “What we need to do is help people open their eyes and see what has happened.”
He added, “I understand the heart of President Trump, I know that he is the one to bring America back to the principle of ‘We the People.'”
However, Michigan Lieutenant Governor and Democrat Garlin Gilchrist II responded, calling the former president “very dangerous.”
During the TPA event, President Trump did not mention the “Black Americans for Trump” initiative and instead focused on familiar themes in his speech, attributing rising prices and illegal immigration to the current government.
In this predominantly working-class city, the former president once again promised to eliminate income tax on tip earnings for service industry workers.
He said, “Restaurant workers, hotel workers, caddies, many people, anyone who receives tips, will no longer be taxed on them.”
The former president urged the audience, “We need to focus on the ballots, safeguard the ballots, ultimately what we need to do is: use paper ballots, paper identification cards, and vote on the same day.”