Former President Trump is set to campaign in Detroit this week to meet with local pastors amid an effort to court Black voters .
The big picture: The 45th president, who was convicted last month of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records, will spend the day after his 78th birthday in northwest Detroit.
- Trump will listen to residents during a roundtable discussion at 4pm Saturday at 180 Church, 13660 Stansbury Ave., his campaign says.
State of play: He is also scheduled to speak at Turning Point USA's the People's Convention at downtown's Huntington Place taking place Friday to Sunday. The exact time for the address has not been announced.
What they're saying: "President Trump will discuss how Joe Biden has failed the great people of Detroit and the state of Michigan," his campaign said in a statement.
Reality check: The city where nearly 80% of residents are Black belongs to a solidly Democratic district — chances are slim that Trump can defeat President Biden (who won the city in 2020 by 94%) in Detroit.
Yes, but: Trump gained votes in Detroit in 2020 and campaign officials have said they can do it again this November.
- Trump falsely alleged that election fraud had played a factor in his 2020 loss in Detroit, despite performing better in the city than Republican candidates in years past.
By the numbers: Trump received 12,654 votes across the city in 2020 — 5,000 more than he got in the 2016 general election.
- Republicans John McCain earned 8,881 votes from Detroiters in 2008 and Detroit-born Mitt Romney won 6,019 votes in 2012.
- In the last presidential election, Biden won 78% of African American votes across the country, national exit polls showed.
The other side: "Donald Trump is returning to Michigan to peddle the same lies, conspiracy theories, promises to be a dictator, and plans to ban abortion as he did a few weeks ago, this time as a convicted felon," a spokesperson for Biden's campaign said in a statement.
Between the lines: Both Trump's and Biden's campaigns have called each other racist in their fight for the Black vote.
- Ahead of Trump's Bronx rally — where he brought out two local rappers — Biden's campaign released an ad reminding New Yorkers of his effort in 1989 to bring the death penalty for the Central Park Five.
- Trump's campaign pointed to Biden's role in passing the 1994 crime bill and his own racist statements , like telling Charlamagne Tha God in a 2020 interview "you ain't Black" about anyone struggling to choose between Biden and Trump in that year's election.
Meanwhile, The Michigan Conservative Coalition is set to host another Michigan MAGA Boat Parade on the Detroit River on Saturday.
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