In a statement released on Monday night, Trump's campaign confirmed his participation in a question-and-answer session focusing on critical issues affecting the Black community. This move is part of a broader strategy by Trump’s campaign to reach voters beyond his traditional support regions.
Black residents of Chicago had quite a bit to say on this last minute appearence.
"It's irrelevant, he's irrelevant," said Charles E. a resident of West Side Chicago. "This wasn't planned or nothing. You know he just sat around asking 'Where's some big, black event going on in the next few days that I can use to impress dumb black voters.' Problem is, we're not dumb and we're not impressed."
Becky G. from uptown echoed this sentiment. "He thinks he can just show up last minute at this event and suddenly black people will vote for him? Does he think just showing his face in Chicago might even turn Illinois red? He's delusional. The most likely thing that will happen is that he'll lose his s**t and piss off the entire room with carefully crafted answers to questions he knows nothing about and couldn't care less about."
Several black residents spoke about authenticity and Trumps past relationship with black communities.
"Tell me how he helped the Black community last time around," June P. from the South Side said. "We didn't see anything change. If anything, things just got worse for us. {He] Didn't do nothing good for us. And now he trying to win over Black journalists so they'll lie and report on him postively, as if it's that easy? [The] Man's got a lesson coming."
"There's nothing real about him [Trump]. He says one thing one minute, then completely reverses it, comes upwith the stupidest and most ignorant comments then claims he never said that. He'll do or say anything to get back in office," Said Chuck L. of Rogers Park. "The truth is no matter what claims he makes tomorrow at the journalist convention or afterwards, if he gets back into office, he'll do whatever he wants, and whatever he wants, it's not going to be good for Blacks in this country.
"Aside from increasing hate crimes against us [Black people], just what exactly was he supposed to have done for us?" asks Kate L a resident of Rogers Park. "I have no doubt if he was re-elected it wouldn't be long before he pushed to take our [Black people's] vote away. He thinks he can manipulate those journalists tomorrow and get them to manipulate the public? I know several Black journalists and they don't play. Try to manipulate them as if they're too stupid to realize it and you got a problem on your hands."
Trump’s appearance at the NABJ convention is seen as a strategic effort to address and possibly sway Black voters, highlighting his campaign's commitment to engaging with communities across the nation. However, if black voters across the country are anything like the ones we spoke with here, the outcome of this engagement doesn't seem likely to play a significant role in shaping Trumps election results.
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