Getty Trump abruptly cancels black clergy press conference

After prematurely announcing the endorsements of 100 black pastors -- prompting several to protest they were not, in fact, supporters – Donald Trump’s campaign abruptly cancelled a press conference with the group scheduled for Monday afternoon at Trump Tower.

Trump’s press secretary Hope Hicks informed reporters of the change of plans in an email Sunday afternoon.


“On Monday, Mr. Trump will host an informational meet and greet with many members of the Coalition of African American Ministers. This is not a press event, but a private meeting, after which, a number of attendees are expected to endorse Mr. Trump’s campaign for President. This is closed to press and therefore no media credentials will be provided,” she wrote.

The botched endorsement rollout represents an embarrassing setback for a campaign struggling to combat the perception that its candidate is racially divisive.

The cancellation comes on the heels of an incident last weekend in which a Black Lives Matter protester was manhandled at a campaign rally in Alabama. Trump responded to the incident by suggesting “Maybe he should have been roughed up” and later tweeted a chart that featured a menacing depiction of a black gunman and statistics that overstated the percentage of white murder victims killed by blacks.



Ohio pastor Darrell Scott, Trump’s unofficial liaison to the black evangelical community and an organizer of Monday’s meeting, said those incidents have intensified scrutiny of black faith leaders who may otherwise support Trump. He chalked up the premature announcement of endorsements and subsequent cancellation of the press conference to a “miscommunication” with Trump’s campaign staff.

“I accept part of the blame for that,” he said.

According to a Trump insider who was not authorized to speak on the record, a group of about 40 pastors was prepared to endorse the candidate following Monday’s meeting but the final number of invitees swelled to over 100. Faith leaders who joined after the initial group were less committed to endorsing Trump – and some of those invited actually opposed his candidacy. Finding themselves under fire within black religious circles, several came out to say they do not plan to endorse him.

Others signaled privately that they will not make a final decision before meeting with the candidate. “They have an obligation to their people to meet with him first so they can have the same firsthand relationship with his views,” said the Trump insider. “We still firmly believe that this is history in the making. I don’t believe there’s ever been a Republican candidate or president who’s sat down with 100 black evangelical preachers.”

The campaign originally announced the press conference in a press release on Wednesday, writing, “Trump will be joined by a coalition of 100 African American Evangelical pastors and religious leaders who will endorse the GOP front-runner after a private meeting at Trump Tower.”

But some of those listed as invitees quickly took to social media to condemn the billionaire businessman. Detroit pastor Corletta Vaughn called Trump “an insult and embarrassment” in a Wednesday Facebook post.

On Friday, Los Angeles-based Bishop Clarence McClendon announced that he would not attend the meeting, writing on Facebook, “The meeting was presented not as a meeting to endorse but as a meeting to engage in dialogue.” Bishop Paul Morton of Atlanta tweeted, “I was asked 2 meet with Mr. Trump too but I refused because until he learns how to respect people you can't represent me thru my endorsement.”

Also on Friday, over 100 black religious readers condemned Trump in an open letter published by Ebony Magazine, calling on black clergy preparing to endorse him to reconsider their support.

Amid the furor, the campaign canceled the public portion of the event. The private meeting will go forward as planned, and Scott said that the guest list has continued to grow in recent days. Even as some pastors drop out, he said he expects the total attendance to exceed 100. “Ever since this controversy came out of this meeting, more pastors have contacted me seeking admission,” he said.

It is not clear how many endorsements Trump will receive following the meeting.

Scott said that the criticism he and other black pastors have faced from for dealing with Trump has been withering.

“We’ve been called Uncle Toms, sellouts, coons … We have preachers calling us ‘prostitutes on a pole,’” he lamented, referring to an epithet leveled by one Baltimore minister. “If Donald Trump said that, the entire nation would be in an uproar.”

