The campaign of former President Donald Trump announced a new effort to gain the support of Black voters. The new plan comes as the former president was greeted by supporters at a Detroit church this weekend.
The Trump campaign said Saturday that the former president completed criminal justice reform during his time as president. Trump signed the First Step Act into law.
The former president was joined at the Detroit event by a number of prominent Black leaders. He was introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who Trump said was a potential choice for vice president.
Trump spoke to the audience about historically low Black unemployment rates when he was president. He also said that the Trump administration did the most for Black voters since former President Abraham Lincoln.
The former president said that he was proud of his administration’s efforts and said that all President Joe Biden did for Black Americans is “talk.”
Trump also cited the 1994 anti-crime bill that Biden authored during his time as a U.S. senator.
Trump is also considering former Housing and Human Development Dr. Ben Carson and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) as potential vice presidential candidates.
Biden appears to be losing support in Michigan, both among the general population and among Black voters. Polling has shown that Trump’s share of the Black vote has increased considerably since 2020.
BREAKING: Trump has gained over 16% support from black voters in Pennsylvania since 2020, while Biden has lost 24%, according to a recent Marist poll.
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) June 16, 2024
A Marist poll taken earlier this month also showed that Biden led Black voters in Pennsylvania by a margin of 68-23%, which compares to Biden’s 92% support four years ago. Furthermore, an April poll showed that almost a third of Black men planned to vote for Trump.
A decline in Black support for Biden could be especially dangerous for his campaign in other swing states, as well, including Minnesota, Georgia and Wisconsin. The former president has been polling well in these swing states, including two that showed him tied in Minnesota.
No Republican has won Minnesota in more than 50 years.
