Former President Donald Trump was praised by a black Detroit pastor during a roundtable discussion in an attempt to court black voters away from President Joe Biden.
180 Church Pastor Lorenzo Sewell praised Trump’s visit on Saturday. At the same time, he criticized Biden and former President Obama for pretending that they care about the black community. In 2020, Trump only won five percent of the city’s vote. However, four years later, the 45th president has gained steam among voters— particularly from the black community.
“President Obama never came to the ’hood, so to speak, right? President Joe Biden, he went to the big NAACP dinner, but he never came to the ’hood. So thank you," Sewell said, adding that he was “humbled” by Trump’s visit.
BREAKING: Black Detroit pastor tells Trump, "President Trump, I'm so humbled that you would be here. President Obama never came to the hood, so to speak, and President Joe Biden only went to the big NAACP dinner, but he never came to the hood. So thank you." WATCH pic.twitter.com/Hr4Tx9FFcD
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) June 15, 2024
During the discussion, moderated by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Trump focused on inflation, and Biden’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, and vowed to crack down on the nation’s unprecedented crime rates.
“I knew I should be here,” Trump told the crowd. “I’m honored to be in Detroit.”
Trump promised the crowd that if he were to be reelected, he’d make sure crime rates— such as the ones plaguing Detroit— would drastically decline and law and order would be restored in America.
From 2020 to 2021, violent crime increased in Michigan, according to FBI data. Detroit has one of the highest crime rates in the country compared to all communities. A recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University/Detroit Free Press poll found that overwhelming 9-1 residents don’t feel safe in the Michigan city, saying that they would feel safer if more police officers were patrolling the streets.
Trump bashed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which then-Senator Biden sponsored. Critics say the bill is a reason for an uptick in mass incarceration in the U.S. However, in 2020, Biden admitted that it was a mistake to support the bill.
On the contrary, during Biden’s visit to Detroit where he attended the NAACP’s 69th Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner, the president spent most of the event criticizing Trump for being too “divisive.”
On Friday, Sewell appeared on Fox & Friends First, saying that there had never before been a president who had a plan to help the black community until Trump created the Platinum Plan— which allocated $500 billion for Black businesses and churches nationwide.