Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during the opening ceremony for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Later in the day he returned to the campaign trail, promising minority voters in North Carolina a "new deal for black America." Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump pledged a series of reforms he said will improve the lives of black voters in inner cities.

Trump trails Hillary Clinton by a large margin among minority voters, especially African Americans, a group he specifically targeted in a speech Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C. As he has before with attempts to reach out to African-American voters, Trump pointed out decades of support for Democrats has not helped solve the problems plaguing minorities in the nation's inner cities.


Instead, Trump promised "a new deal for black America."

Trump said that as president he would initiate a series of reforms aimed specifically at expanding the number of African Americans in the middle class. The initiatives would include tax holidays and incentives for inner-city investment, a greater focus on inner-city infrastructure spending, reforming social welfare programs and increasing police presence.

On the latter issue, Trump told black voters it is a lack of respect for police – and too little police presence in inner cities – that has led to crime, drugs and gun violence.

"I want every poor African-American child to be able to walk down the street in peace. Safety is a civil right," Trump said. "The problem is not the presence of police but the absence of police. I will invest in training and funding both local and federal law enforcement operations to remove the gang members, drug dealers and criminal cartels from our neighborhoods. The reduction of crime is not merely a goal – but a necessity. We will get it done. The war on police urged on by my rival is reckless, and dangerous and puts African-American lives at risk. We must work with our police, not against them."

On taxes, Trump said: "I will ... propose tax holidays for inner-city investment and new tax incentives to get foreign companies to relocate in blighted American neighborhoods. I will further empower cities and states to seek a federal disaster designation for blighted communities in order to initiate the rebuilding of vital infrastructure, the demolition of abandoned properties, and the increased presence of law enforcement."

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Trump also said financial reforms have to reflect the need for minority rights, which was not made a priority in Wall Street reforms enacted after the 2008 recession.

"I will also pursue financial reforms to make it easier for young African-Americans to get credit to pursue their dreams in business and create jobs in their communities. Dodd-Frank has been a disaster, making it harder for small businesses to get the credit they need. The policies of the Clintons brought us the financial recession – through lifting Glass-Steagall, pushing subprime lending, and blocking reforms to Fannie and Freddie. It's time for a 21st century Glass Steagall and, as part of that, a priority on helping African-American businesses get the credit they need."

Polls, including the UPI/CVoter online tracking poll, suggest Trump is attracting historically low levels of support among black voters. The analysis of the daily tracking poll found just 7 percent of black voters support Trump, compared with 89 percent who favor Clinton.