Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday blasted Democratic policies and called for African-Americans to support him, saying blacks cannot expect change otherwise.
On his second visit to Michigan in two weeks on Friday, Trump predicting that he will have ‘over 95 per cent of the African-American vote’.
Most polls show that Trump trailing to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton significantly among black voters in particular, though Trump has repeatedly claimed that has strong support from the demographic.
Addressing a boisterous crowd in Dimondale, Trump made a sustained pitch to African American voters, who have overwhelmingly flocked Clinton, telling them, “What do you have to lose?” “Only a change in leadership will produce a change in outcomes.”
“No group in America has been more harmed by Hillary Clinton's policies than African Americans. If Hillary Clinton's goal was to inflict pain on the African American community, she could not have done a better job. It's a disgrace,” Trump added.
“It’s time to hold democratic politicians accountable for what they’ve done for these communities,” Trump further said.
Obama had won roughly 93 percent of black voters in his re-election campaign in 2012.
Trump told African-American voters to give him a shot at the presidency.
“You live in your poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed — what the hell do you have to lose?” he said, adding a bold prediction: “At the end of four years, I will get over 95 percent of the African-American vote.”
It’s not the first appeal Trump has made to the demographic, despite his dismal standing in the polls.
Later Friday evening, Hillary Clinton’s Twitter account linked to an excerpt from Trump’s speech and said, “This is so ignorant it’s staggering.”
Trump’s address in Dimondale marked the fourth time this week he spoke with the aid of the telepromoters he used to revile.
With AP Inputs