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.
鈥淎nd let鈥檚 not forget: 鈥榮exist, misogynist, narcissists, Islamophobe, anti-Hispanic, anti-Semite 鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
For his part, Trump said he prays for an America of 鈥渦nity, togetherness, peace and love.鈥�
Trump also promised to bring back companies and jobs that have gone overseas.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not even going to be hard.鈥�
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 鈥渇ailed the people in order to enrich itself.鈥�
鈥淚 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.鈥�
He promised to rebuild the inner cities, saying the Democrats have failed to help inner cities.
鈥淐an鈥檛 get any worse. Perhaps they can but not much. And I will fix it. What do you have to lose? I will fix it.鈥�
Outside the Cleveland Heights church, the city鈥檚 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.
鈥淎frican Americans, Jewish Americans, Irish-Americans and many others could not rent her, could not buy here. They didn鈥檛 want us to go in the store and purchase anything. I stand as an example of how far we鈥檝e come.鈥�
Stephens called on Trump to apologize for leading what she called a 鈥渞acist鈥� 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 鈥渢errible situation鈥� and that he couldn鈥檛 understand what the officer was thinking.
鈥淒id she get scared: was she choking? What happened? Maybe people like that, people that choke, people who do that can鈥檛 be doing what they鈥檙e doing. They can鈥檛 be doing what they鈥檙e doing鈥�
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.