At a rally in Kenansville, North Carolina, Trump made the case for why African Americans should vote for him in the November election. Taking the “you’ve got nothing to lose” approach, the Republican nominee claimed that African American communities are in the worst shape they’ve “ever been in.”
“We’re going to rebuild our inner cities because our African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape that they’ve ever been in before. Ever. Ever. Ever,” he said. Few African Americans attended, but the nearly all-white crowed nodded in agreement with Trump.
Trump went on to say that “some of our inner cities” are more dangerous than Afghanistan. The Republican said inner cities have no jobs, no education and that people “get shot walking down the street.”
Donald Trump’s remarks came despite the fact that African Americans have faced far worse circumstances throughout history, including slavery and Jim Crow laws.
President Barack Obama, America’s first black president, spoke at the Congressional Black Caucus gala, and had this to say about Trump’s remarks:
“He missed that whole civics lesson about slavery or Jim Crow. But we’ve got a museum for him to visit, so he can tune in. We will educate him.”
Obama took another jab at Trump, stating that he is a man who has “fought against civil rights and fought against equality.” The president also said the Republican nominee had “shown no regard to working people most of his life.”
According to recent national polls, Trump’s support with African American voters is in the low single-digit range.
