Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump made a stop in Cleveland Heights on the east side today, attending a conference of mostly African American pastors at the church of his supporter Darrell Scott. Although it was billed as a gathering on Midwest Values and Vision, all of the talk was by or about Donald Trump. Ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.
Donald Trump supporter and friend Michael Cohen, Co-Chairman of the National Diversity Coalition For Trump, began the event by denouncing the media for calling Trump a racist.
“And let’s not forget: ‘sexist, misogynist, narcissists, Islamophobe, anti-Hispanic, anti-Semite … ‘ ”
For his part, Trump said he prays for an America of “unity, togetherness, peace and love.”
Trump also promised to bring back companies and jobs that have gone overseas.
“And it’s not even going to be hard.”
He acknowledged that African Americans have suffered discrimination saying many wrongs must still be made right.
Reading from a script, the first-time candidate told about 300 people that the present political system has “failed the people in order to enrich itself.”
“I want to reform that system so that it works for you, all of you. I believe true reform can only come from outside the system, outside the establishment.”
He promised to rebuild the inner cities, saying the Democrats have failed to help inner cities.
“Can’t get any worse. Perhaps they can but not much. And I will fix it. What do you have to lose? I will fix it.”
Outside the Cleveland Heights church, the city’s mayor Cheryl Stephens, a Black Democrat, said life is better. She now owns a house where deed restrictions once would have kept her and others out.
“African Americans, Jewish Americans, Irish-Americans and many others could not rent her, could not buy here. They didn’t want us to go in the store and purchase anything. I stand as an example of how far we’ve come.”
Stephens called on Trump to apologize for leading what she called a “racist“ birther movement against President Obama.
At the end of his speech, Trump was asked questions by Scott and another pastor.
One was about the recent shooting in Tulsa where a police officer killed an unarmed black man with his hands raised. Trump said it was a “terrible situation” and that he couldn’t understand what the officer was thinking.
“Did she get scared: was she choking? What happened? Maybe people like that, people that choke, people who do that can’t be doing what they’re doing. They can’t be doing what they’re doing”
Trump also said he would promote school choice, rebuild the inner cities, and choose Supreme Court justices in the mold of the late Antonin Scalia.