While protesters marched on the streets of Detroit on Saturday, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump took his campaign to a black church pulpit in the city, delivering a prepared speech and promising those in attendance to help African-Americans in "so many ways."
"I fully understand that the African-American community has suffered from discrimination and that there are many wrongs that must still be made right," he told congregants at the Great Faith International Ministries church. "They will be made right. I want to make this city the economic envy of the world. We can do that. We can do that again. Factories everywhere, schools,especially schools, and new hope."
Further, Trump told them that he's "sort of seen a lot" and he would like to bring "wealth and prosperity and opportunity to those who have not had these opportunities before and that's many, many people in Detroit."
He told the church that he is "determined" to do something about falling wages and disappearing jobs.
"I do get things done," he said. "I will tell you, I'm going to get things done. I'm going to get things done for you."
Trump also lauded the nation's black church for its involvement in the civil rights movement, and told those in attendance that "it's from these pews that our nation has been inspired toward a better moral character."
The African-American community has been "one of God's greatest gifts to America and to its people," and there is no action than the country could do that would heal the nation than to "provide a greater platform to the black churches and churchgoers."
He also promised to defend churchgoers' right of worship, and told them that he hopes his presence will help their voice to reach new audiences.
"Our nation is too divided," he told the audience. "We talk past each other and not to each other.
And those who seek office do not do enough to step into the community and learn what's going on. I'm here today to learn, so that we can together remedy injustice in any form, and so that we can also remedy economics so that the African-American community can benefit economically through jobs and income and so many other different ways."
"I believe we need a civil rights agenda for our time," added Trump, who earlier said becoming the nominee of the party of Abraham Lincoln "was one of the great honors of my life."
Before his address, Trump swayed in one of the rows of worshippers along with Omarosa Manigault, who became a star on his reality show, "The Apprentice" and who is now his director of African-American outreach. After the speech, Bishop Wayne Jackson draped him in a Jewish shawl from Israel and gave him a Jewish heritage Bible, reports NBC News.
Jackson, the pastor at the church where Trump spoke, said after that he believes Detroit is better off for having Trump visit and speak.
"Now matter what people say about Detroit, we stick together in hard times," Jackson said. "With Donald Trump being here, we have witnessed an act of love. With Donald Trump being here, we have witnessed an act of love. Even though we had protesters out there. When this church received him, we're saying we're, if we really love Jesus and our Christian, the Bible says in the fifth chapter of Matthew, it says blessed are the peacemakers."
Trump's address was warmly received inside the church, but on the streets outside, protesters held placards reading "no hate in the White House" and shouted "no Trump," reports NBC.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democratic, stayed outside the church and criticized Trump's visit, telling reporters his outreach to the African-American community felt like a "Madison Avenue image makeover," and he felt like he was watching "the next season of 'The Apprentice.'"
The Rev. Lawrence Glass, a local pastor participating in the protests, told reporters that Trump represents "politics of hate and fear" and "minorities of all kinds have much to lose taking a chance on someone like"Trump, reports The Detroit News.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, speaking on MSNBC after Trump's speech, angrily denounced the GOP nominee for the words and tone he used.
"Pandering, I don't even think it got to the level of pandering," Sharpton said. "Pandering is saying something you're not going to do. He didn't even say what he was going to do... he was talking loud and saying nothing."
Trump was to visit Detroit neighborhoods with retired Dr. Ben Carson, a Detroit native who became a Trump surrogate and adviser after dropping his own bid for the GOP nomination, on Saturday afternoon to speak with residents about their concerns.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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