Trump Outlines ‘New Deal for Black America’

By Kenrya Rankin Oct 27, 2016

Just 13 days remain before Election Day, and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used a campaign stop in Charlotte to introduce what his campaign website calls an “urban renewal agenda for America’s inner cities.”

“It is great to be here in Charlotte to discuss an issue that means so much to me. That is the issue of urban renewal, and the rebuilding of our inner cities,” he began, per his prepared remarks, which were delivered to a crowd of nearly 700 gathered in the McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square.

“Today I want to talk about how to grow the African-American middle class, and to provide a new deal for Black America. That deal is grounded in three promises: safe communities, great education and high-paying jobs.” The idea of a “new deal” references President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plan to revitalize the American economy and pull it out of the Great Depression.

RealClear Politics’ average of the polls currently puts Black support of Trump at 7.1 percent. As he did during the presidential debates, the nominee continued to frame the African-American community as a monolithic inner city where “you walk down the street, you get shot.” Charlotte has recently been in the news as the site of an uprising, following the police killing of Keith Lamont Scott.

Below, read some key points from Trump’s plan.

On police violence:
We will also police our streets. I want every poor African-American child to be able to walk down the street in peace. Safety is a civil right. The problem is not the presence of police but the absence of police. I will invest in training and funding both local and federal law enforcement operations to remove the gang members, drug dealers and criminal cartels from our neighborhoods. The reduction of crime is not merely a goal—but a necessity. We will get it done. The war on police urged on by my rival is reckless, and dangerous, and puts African-American lives at risk. We must work with our police, not against them.

On immigration:
One of the greatest betrayals has been the issue of immigration. Illegal immigration violates the civil rights of African-Americans. No group has been more economically-harmed by decades of illegal immigration than low-income African-American workers. Hillary’s pledge to enact “open borders,” – made in secret to a foreign bank – would destroy the African-American middle class….

On immigration, my policy is simple. I will restore the civil rights of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and all Americans, by ending illegal immigration. I will reform visa rules to give American workers preference for jobs, and I will suspend reckless refugee admissions from terror-prone regions that cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars. A portion of the money saved by enforcing our laws, and suspending refugees, will be re-invested in our inner cities. It is time to help the American citizens who have become refugees in their own country.

On environmental justice:
I will also cancel all wasteful climate change spending from Obama-Clinton, including all global warming payments to the United Nations. These steps will save $100 billion over 8 years, and this money will be used to help rebuild the vital infrastructure, including water systems, in America’s inner cities.

On education:
School choice is at the center of my plan. My proposal redirects education spending to allow every disadvantaged child in America to attend the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school of their choice. School choice is the great civil rights issue of our time, and I will be the nation’s biggest cheerleader for school choice in all 50 states. I will also appoint a commission to investigate the school to prison pipeline and to shut it down and create a new pathway that leads from a great education to a great job. My plan will also ensure funding for Historical Black Colleges and Universities, more affordable two and four-year college, and support for trade and vocational education.

Read the prepared remarks in full here, or watch the video below. Trump comes to the podium at the 1 hour, 26 minutes mark.