In West Bend, Trump Aims To Court African-American Voters In Milwaukee

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tried to win over African-American voters in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, speaking to a predominantly white audience 25 miles away in West Bend.

Trump highlighted the damage caused by demonstrations in Milwaukee over Saturday’s police shooting of an African-American man, Sylville Smith.

“The main victims of these riots are law-abiding African-American citizens living in these neighborhoods,” Trump said.

Trump said he would never approve of a repeat of the protests.

“Crime and violence is an attack on the poor and will never be accepted in a Trump administration,” he said.

Trump said Democratic mayors control most urban areas, and he urged African-American voters to reject the policies of the mayors and those of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

“To every voter in Milwaukee, to every voter living in the inner city or every forgotten stretch of our society, I’m running to offer you a much better future, a much better job,” he said.

Trump said he supports adding police to low-income communities. The advocacy group Correct the Record, which backs Democratic presidential candidate Clinton, said Trump is styling himself as a guardian of public safety and an ally of the African-American community, but neglects to hold rallies in African-American neighborhoods.

The crowd of about 2,000 people inside a building at Washington County Fair Park gave Trump a warm reception, though Trump didn’t take the stage until about 9 p.m., much later than some anticipated.

In downtown West Bend earlier Tuesday, indications of the difficulty Trump faces in overcoming Clinton’s lead in the polls were present. While Washington County is usually a GOP stronghold, some who usually vote Republican, or are independent, said they aren’t ready to support Trump.

Katie Jean, a small business owner, said as a wealthy developer, Trump hasn’t treated some business colleagues very well.

“You know—and I appreciate his big ideas—but he’s, as far as his track record goes, the things that he’s done for small businesses, even donation-wise, he’s not generous. He’s selfish,” she said.

But Jean said she also has concerns about Clinton, saying she worries about Clinton’s honesty. Jean said she’d prefer to vote for a third-party candidate, but fears that person can’t win.

Also on Tuesday, Gov. Scott Walker said Trump can still gain in the polls by criticizing Clinton. Walker leveled such criticism of Clinton at the evening rally, prior to introducing Trump.