Trump's Outreach to Blacks Won't Be Futile

Donald Trump delivered a much-anticipate speech last Saturday at Great Faith Ministries International in Detroit, Michigan. This was Trump's first widely-publicized appearance at a church with a predominantly black congregation.  I watched the video of his speech and it was pretty clear to me that those in attendance seemed genuinely pleased to have Trump in attendance. The congregants were not only gracious to their guest (the pastor gifted Trump with a prayer shawl from Israel and a personalized study bible with the scripture Mark 9:23 highlighted to encouragement Trump when he feels that the odds are against him.  (I have an issue with politicians speaking from a church's pulpit during worship service, but I'll leave this alone for another time.)



While Trump was inside the church, outside was a crowd of very vocal protesters, organized by union groups. Some of the protestors tried to break through the barriers that police had set up to get inside the church but were stopped by police. The protestors carried placards emblazoned with an array of anti-Trump messages such as No Hate in the White House, Donald Trump is a sexist, and Trump is a racist.  Most of the signs were likely made by the same shop since they were designed exactly the same.  Among the protesters were people shouting the same things that were on the placards, along with some rather peculiar things such as "Donald Trump doesn't like men" (I don't know what the heck that was a reference to), "Donald Trump is a misogynist", "Dump Trump" and "Donald Trump hates black people." One irate woman in speaking to a reporter asked, "What has he done for black people? There was also a couple of people with megaphones giving impromptu lectures on why the black community must reject Donald Trump.

To compare what was going on inside the church with what was happening outside the church is like comparing people in a spa, where they are relaxing and being rejuvenated, to people that are trapped in a cage with feral cats--it's an atmosphere filled with fear, confusion, and desperation.

As for Trump's speech, I thought that he was initially cautious, but he soon relaxed. That's understandable. Trump is well aware of how he's perceived by many, if not most blacks.  He was also aware of what was happening just outside the church. But he rose to the occasion.  He was humble, appreciative and clearly wanted to build a bridge. And for this, his critics have repeatedly said that his appearance and outreach to blacks is disingenuous, unwelcomed, shameful and won't amount to anything.

Trump is a big boy, so he certainly doesn't need me to defend him, but I must say, he is a rare bird.  We really don't see men like Donald Trump much these days, certainly not those seeking high public office, nevermind the highest office in the land.  He is defying the critics and conventional wisdom by reaching out to black voters, and he's doing so despite strong resistance.  Typically republican candidates make only the slightest overtures to blacks.  The rationale behind their lackluster courting of black voters has been that it's a waste of valuable resources because democrats have the black vote locked up.  That's true.  But Trump is ignoring conventional wisdom and is making a strong appeal to black voters.  Perhaps it's because Trump is not a politician and has had to rely heavily on his instincts and be willing to take risks (In an earlier post I said that Trump has uncanny instincts and is definitely a risk-taker), that he truly senses that he can win a meaningful percentage of black voters.

The pundits are in near agreement that Trump will not move the needle when it comes to winning over black voters. I disagree. I think he can and will.  If Trump continues to talk about issues that resonate with black voters, while relentlessly detailing how democrats and their policies have failed large urban communities, he can defy the odds and win 15-20% of the black vote (Yes, I honestly believe this).  What Trump has in his favor is his opponent's assumption that it will be business as usual with black voters and her expectation of receiving at least 90% of the black vote without having to do nothing more than stoke fear of the republican.  Thankfully, this isn't a typical election and her opponent isn't a typical republican.