Staff Reports
Pastor Lorenzo Sewell expressed gratitude for hosting presidential candidate Donald Trump at 180 Church in Detroit, Michigan, where Sewell serves as the senior pastor. Trump, who is campaigning for the 2024 election, made a notable outreach to the Detroit community, emulating his similar efforts during the 2016 campaign. The visit to the predominantly black demographic of Detroit resonated with Sewell’s appreciation, as he highlighted that neither President Obama nor President Biden had made such a gesture previously.
With nearly 80% of the population in Detroit being black, there has been a visible decline in support for Democratic candidates, as evidenced by the decrease in votes from Detroit voters for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and President Biden in 2020 compared to President Obama’s figures. In contrast, there has been a marginal increase in support for Trump, from originally receiving 3% of the vote in 2016 to over 5% in the next election cycle.
Detroit pastor praises Trump for visiting ‘the hood’ and slams Obama for absence https://t.co/VdteaWddfE
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 17, 2024
While Trump engaged in discussions with church leaders in Detroit, Biden and Obama were attending a star-studded fundraiser event in Los Angeles, California. The divergent activities of the two parties highlighted the contrasting approaches to engaging with communities, with Trump making a direct effort to connect with the Detroit population.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll from April revealed that a significant 30% of Black voters nationwide are considering voting for Trump over Biden in the upcoming election. This potential shift in support among Black voters could represent a substantial change from the 2020 election, in which Biden secured 92% of the Black vote. The rising significance of Black voters, expected to make up 14% of eligible voters in 2024 according to the Pew Research Center, underscores the importance of Trump’s outreach to this community.
By actively pursuing the support of Black voters in Detroit and across the country, Trump’s engagement with minority communities suggests a remarkable shift in political dynamics that could have significant implications for the upcoming election.
