Trump: ‘I have so many African-American friends that are doing great’

After weeks of criticism over his attempts to reach out to African-American voters, Donald Trump on Thursday professed to have “so many African-American friends” who are “living the good life.”

“I have so many African-American friends that are doing great. They are making good money. They are living the good life. They’ve got the American dream going,” the Republican nominee said Thursday on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.”


Then, he returned to a familiar refrain.

“You have so many in poverty and the crime is horrible and the education is terrible and they live terribly and I say what do you have to lose? What do you have to lose?” he said. “Give it to me. I’m going to fix it.”

The tactic of highlighting success stories by African-Americans rather than dwelling on systemic inequalities may signal a shift in approach by the Trump campaign, whose support among black voters has consistently polled in single digits, despite the candidate’s proclamations to the contrary.

The New York Times on Thursday reported on a leaked transcript of Trump’s lengthy, prepared answers to be delivered during a campaign visit Saturday to a black church in Detroit, Michigan, in a face-to-face interview with its pastor.

The scripted remarks, prepared by Trump campaign aides and Republican National Committee staffers in response to questions submitted in advance, according to the report, strike a sharp contrast with the Republican nominee’s usual improvisational, uncompromising style.

“Coming into a community is meaningless unless we offer an alternative to the horrible progressive agenda that has perpetuated a permanent underclass in America,” Trump is expected to say while also calling for “race to disappear as a factor in government and governance.”

“As president, I must serve all Americans without regard to race, ethnicity or any other qualification. I must approach my task with the utmost wisdom and make sure that all Americans have opportunities to achieve to their potential.”

In another scripted exchange, Trump says, “I have a strong faith enriched by an ever-wonderful God.”

The exact wording, however, may be subject to change depending on input from black Republican consultants working with the campaign, according to the report.

Trump has continued to strive to make inroads with Hispanic, Latino and African-American voters by painting the Democratic Party as the root cause of their problems, an argument he continued to make Thursday.

“The Democrats and the Hillary Clintons of the world have done a terrible job,” he said. “She’s been there 35 years, she’s done a terrible job.”