Trump meets with black supporters, vows equal opportunity

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday cited low unemployment rates for African Americans and passage of a criminal justice bill providing earlier release for thousands of federal drug offenders as examples of how he’s helping the black community.

Trump met with African American supporters Thursday as part of the White House commemoration of Black History Month.

“I will not stop. I will not give up until we have delivered equal and abundant opportunity to every neighbourhood across our land,” Trump said at a reception.

Before the reception, he met with black supporters who complained that Trump was not being given enough credit, or that he had been portrayed unfairly as racist.

“You attack him, you attack all of us,” said Bruce LeVell of Georgia.

Trump’s reelection campaign has stepped up its outreach to black Americans as it tries to claw away support from the traditionally Democratic voting bloc ahead of November’s general election.

Approval of Trump among black Americans has been consistent at about 1 in 10 over the course of his presidency. A Pew Research Center analysis of people who participated in its polls and were confirmed to have voted showed Trump won just 6% of black voters in 2016.

But the campaign claims it is seeing an uptick of support among black men in particular — and notes that even a small shift in the electorate could decide close races.

The Associated Press