Trump launches group to build Black support at Detroit church event

DETROIT — Former President Donald Trump’s campaign launched its Black voter coalition group Saturday, the clearest effort yet by Trump to target a voting bloc that has overwhelmingly supported Democrats in past elections but has been unusually open to Trump in public polling.

The announcement came ahead of a community roundtable event at 180 Church, a predominantly Black worship center in Detroit. Among the Black Republicans present at the Trump event were former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and John James, R-Mich. Trump said at the event that Donalds "happens to be on the list of potential vice presidents," asking the crowd: "Would anybody like to see him? I noticed your name is very high on the list."

“Historic rates of Black voters now support President Trump, and the reason is simple: Black voters know that President Trump is the only presidential candidate who can deliver results on day one because he already has,” the Trump campaign said in statement heralding the launch of its “Black Americans for Trump” effort, touting unemployment rates and household income levels for Black people during his presidency.

The new Trump coalition group marks an attempt by Trump to mirror the Black outreach efforts of President Joe Biden’s campaign, which so far has invested millions of dollars into hiring, organizing and paid media solely designed to engage its Black voting base.

The Biden-Harris campaign launched its own Black voter coalition group, “Black Voters for Biden-Harris,” in Philadelphia at the end of May. The event marked a rare joint appearance by both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both of whom credited Black voters for being crucial to their 2020