Trump Courts Voters At Black Detroit Church Amid Tight Election Race

Donald Trump visits a Detroit church to engage with Black voters, addressing crime, jobs, and community concerns. His outreach efforts aim to sway crucial votes ahead of the upcoming election.

Written By Judy Brooks // EEW Magazine Online

Former President Donald Trump shows off the decorated birthday cake cookie given to him after the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him following the round-table discussion inside the 180 Church in Detroit on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo Credit: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press)

In a rare move for Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump visited Detroit on Saturday to engage with Black voters, participating in a community forum at a local church. The event at the 180 Church drew a mix of local residents and supporters, with minimal protest activity.

Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, have both identified Michigan as a crucial battleground state. The Trump campaign sees potential to attract Black voters, particularly men, through policies on the economy and border security.

Former President Donald Trump thanks some of the invited guests at the table. (L to R) Itasha Dotson and Carlos Chambers inside the 180 Church in Detroit on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo Credit: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press)

Seated at a table with community members, including small-business owners and activists, Trump reiterated his core messages. He criticized the Biden administration for high inflation, crime, and illegal migration, asserting that these issues have disproportionately affected Black Americans.

“They’re coming into your community, and they’re taking your jobs,” Trump stated. “We have to get them out.” He also claimed that crime is "most rampant here, in African American communities," and that the Black population wants more law enforcement.

Trump also promised to boost Detroit's auto industry by imposing tariffs on vehicles manufactured in Mexico and other countries.

Rev. Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church in Detroit talks to the crowd before a roundtable discussion with former President Donald Trump inside his church in Detroit on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo Credit: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press)

The event was moderated by U.S. Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, a potential vice-presidential candidate for Trump. The church’s senior pastor, Rev. Lorenzo Sewell, expressed appreciation for Trump’s visit, contrasting it with former President Barack Obama, who he noted never visited similar neighborhoods.

“President Obama never came to the ‘hood,” Sewell said. “So, thank you.” Sewell, wearing a “Make Black America Great Again” T-shirt, helped direct visitors before the event, highlighting the local community's challenges, including mental illness, drug addiction, and poverty.

Sewell initially thought the invitation from Trump’s campaign was a prank. However, he decided to host the event to give marginalized Detroiters a platform to voice their concerns to a national campaign.

“For him to have a community conversation, I thought it was an opportunity to give the least of these a voice at the table,” Sewell said.

A flag flies for Trump near tents a block away from the 180 Church before a round-table discussion with former President Donald Trump in Detroit on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo Credit: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press)

The audience was diverse, and the event proceeded without significant protest, although police blocked the street in front of the church. A nearby dental clinic seized the moment to advertise, with an employee holding a sign reading, “Make your smile great again.”

Despite his recent legal troubles, including convictions in New York for felony counts related to a 2016 election payment cover-up and other charges for interfering with the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents, Trump’s campaign continues to push forward.

Later on Saturday, Trump was scheduled to speak at a Turning Point Action conference, a right-wing advocacy group.

Black voters were instrumental in Biden’s 2020 victory. However, recent polls suggest some erosion of their support. The Biden campaign has intensified its efforts in Michigan, with Biden speaking at a NAACP dinner in Detroit last month and Vice President Kamala Harris visiting the state recently.

Local Democratic officials, including Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, held a press conference ahead of Trump’s visit, criticizing his campaign and warning against a potential second Trump presidency.

“We cannot take a step backwards into a Trump reality that is so narrowly focused on everybody but us,” Gilchrist said.