Meanwhile, Donald Trump continued his efforts to appeal to African-American voters Monday, while speaking to an overwhelmingly white crowd in Akron, Ohio.
Donald Trump: “Crime at levels that nobody’s seen. You can go to war zones in countries that we’re fighting, and it’s safer than living in some of our inner cities. They’re run by the Democrats. To the African Americans, who I employ so many, so many people, to the Hispanics, tremendous people, what the hell do you have to lose?”
In fact, FBI data shows violent crime in the United States has been declining steadily for the last two decades. Trump’s approval rating among African Americans is between zero and 1 percent. Yet Trump has said repeatedly in recent days that if he’s elected, by 2020 he’ll win 95 percent of the African-American vote—a claim that even his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, appears to doubt. This is Pence chuckling during an interview with Fox News’s Ainsley Earhardt.
Ainsley Earhardt: “Donald Trump is telling the African-American community, 'I am the guy for you,' and he says, by 2020, he’s going to have 95 percent of the African-American support.”
Gov. Mike Pence: [laughter]
Ainsley Earhardt: “Why are you laughing?”
Gov. Mike Pence: “Well, that’s Donald Trump.”