Trump promised big plans to flip Black and Latino voters, many Republicans waiting to see them
The Trump campaign removed its point person for coalitions and hasn’t announced a replacement
Donald Trump says he wants to hold a major campaign event at New York’s Madison Square Garden featuring Black hip-hop artists and athletes. His aides speak of making appearances in Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta with leaders of colour and realigning American politics by flipping Democratic constituencies.
But five months before the first general election votes are cast, the former president’s campaign has little apparent organisation to show for its ambitious plans.
The Trump campaign removed its point person for coalitions and hasn’t announced a replacement. The Republican Party’s minority outreach offices across the country have been shuttered and replaced by businesses that include a check-cashing store, an ice cream shop and a sex-toy store.
And campaign officials concede they are weeks away from rolling out any targeted programs.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has struggled to navigate a messy transition into the general election plagued by staffing issues, his personal legal troubles and the “Make Amer
ica Great Again” movement’s disdain for so-called “identity politics.” There are signs of frustration on the ground, where Republicans believe Trump has a real opportunity to shift the election by cutting into President Joe Biden’s advantage with voters of colour.
“To be quite honest, the Republican Party does not have a cohesive engagement plan for Black communities,” said Darrell Scott, a Black pastor who served as a senior advisor on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns. “What it has are conservatives in communities of colour that have taken it upon themselves to head our own initiatives.”
In Michigan, a critical battleground that flipped from Trump to Biden four years ago, several party officials confirmed that the Republican National Committee, overhauled by Trump allies after he clinched
the nomination in March, has yet to set up any community centres for minority outreach. Office spaces to house the centres have been offered up by community members, but staffing has been an issue, said Oakland County GOP Chair Vance Patrick. “We’ve got all these carts but we have no horses yet,” said Patrick. “So, it’s all about making sure we have staffing when we open up these offices.”
On-the-ground political organising has long been a hallmark of successful presidential campaigns, which typically invest tremendous resources into identifying would-be supporters and ensuring they vote. The task may be even more critical this fall given how few voters are excited about the Biden-Trump rematch.