TAMPA – Wednesday at a campaign appearance at the Florida State Fairgrounds before of crowd of several thousand people, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made a concerted push for African-American and Hispanic voters.
Trump began his pitch by reflecting on America’s inner cities, pointing out that all of what is wrong has occurred almost solely under the elected leadership of politicians affiliated with the Democratic Party.
“This is so important for our inner cities,” he said. “Our inner cities are suffering like never before. They have been run by Democrats for so many years. In some cases over 100 years. Almost every inner city is run by the Democrats.”
After pointing out several statistics demonstrating poverty and crime in the African-American community, he doubled down on the attack and reiterated a case he had made in previous days, which was, “What do you have to lose?”
“The Democratic Party has run, as I’ve said, nearly every inner-city in this country for 50 or 60 or in some cases over 100 years. Over 100 years. They’ve produced only more poverty, only more crime, only more joblessness. And broken homes all over the place at record levels. To those suffering and hurting, and the people left behind, I say vote for Donald Trump. Vote for Donald Trump.
“What do you have to lose?” he continued. “It cannot get any worse. And believe me I’m going to fix it. I’m going to make it so good. So to the African-American voter, great people, to the Hispanic voter, who have been absolutely treated terribly, I say what do you have to lose? I will fix it.”
Trump pledged that if elected president, he would see to it that public safety for the African-American and Hispanic communities would be improved upon as well.
“I will be able to make sure that when you walk down the street in your inner-city or wherever you are, you are not going to be shot,” he said. “Your child isn’t going to be shot.”
“I say to the African-Americans parents: You have a right to walk down the street of your city without having your child or yourself shot,” Trump added. “And that’s what’s happening right now. That’s what’s happening. To the Hispanic parents: You have a right to walk outside without being shot.”
He also vowed that education, home ownership and jobs would be a priority, but warned if Hillary Clinton was elected, then African-Americans and Hispanics would be neglected.
“If she gets your vote, and I think we are going to do great with African-Americans and with the Hispanics, once she gets your vote do you know what she does? Bye-bye, folks. See you in four years. She’s going to do nothing. And you want to know the truth? She doesn’t have the stamina to do it even if she wanted to.”
The GOP nominee went on to say that these groups had been “used” by “phony politicians.”
“African Americans are tired of being used by these phony politicians,” he added. “Hispanics are tired of being used by these phony politicians. And everybody else in our country is tired of being used by these phony politicians.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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