DETROIT (AP) 鈥 Donald Trump blamed immigrants for stealing jobs and government resources as he courted separate groups of Black voters and hardcore conservatives in battleground Michigan on Saturday.
The Republican former president also made several new baseless claims attacking the nation's voting system.
But Trump's fiery comments on illegal immigration, long a staple in his unapologetic message, marked a connecting theme in downtown Detroit as he sought to stitch together a delicate political coalition at both a Black church and a group known to attract white supremacists.
"The people coming across the border 鈥 all those millions of people 鈥 they're inflicting tremendous harm to our Black population and to our Hispanic population," Trump told a cheering crowd of thousands of conservative activists packed into a vast convention hall.
鈥淭hey're not human beings. They're animals,鈥 he said later in referencing members of violent immigrant gangs.
Trump鈥檚 diverse weekend schedule underscores the evolving political forces shaping the presidential election this fall as he tries to deny Democratic President a second term.
Few states may matter more in November than Michigan, which Biden carried by less than 3 percentage points four years ago. And few voting groups matter more to Democrats than African Americans, who made up the backbone of Biden鈥檚 political base in 2020. But now, less than five months before Election Day, Black voters are expressing modest signs of disappointment with the 81-year-old Democrat.
Trump, who turned 78 on Friday, is fighting to take advantage of his apparent opening.
His crowd was far smaller, but also warmly receptive, when he visited the 180 Church earlier in the day. Derelict vehicles sat outside the modest brick building with 鈥淏lack Americans for Trump鈥 signs affixed. Rap music and barbecue smoke wafted from a pre-event gathering organized by the Black Conservative Federation group.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very important area for us,鈥 Trump told the church crowd, which included a significant number of white people. He promised to return 鈥渟ome Sunday鈥 for a sermon.
He argued that the Black community 鈥渋s being hurt鈥 by immigrants in the country illegally.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e invading your jobs,鈥 he said.
Trump offered a similar message later in the day while addressing the 鈥淧eople's Convention鈥 of Turning Point Action, a group that has been linked to a variety of extremists.
Roughly 24 hours before the former president spoke, well-known white supremacist Nick Fuentes entered the hall surrounded by a group of cheering supporters. Security quickly escorted him out, but Fuentes created political problems for Trump after attending a private lunch with the former president and the at Trump鈥檚 Florida estate in 2022.
Turning Point has emerged as a force in GOP politics in the Trump era, particularly among his 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 movement, despite the Anti-Defamation League鈥檚 warning that the group 鈥渃ontinues to attract racists.鈥
鈥淣umerous individuals associated with the group have made bigoted statements about the Black community, the LGBTQ community and other groups,鈥 the ADL, an international anti-hate group, wrote in a background memo. 鈥淲hile TPUSA (Turning Point USA) leaders say they reject white supremacist ideology, known white nationalists have attended their events.鈥
Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet dismissed the ADL鈥檚 characterization as 鈥渟mears and lies.鈥 He added that Turning Point has been blocking Fuentes from attending its events for 鈥測ears.鈥
鈥淭he ADL is a scourge on America, which sows poison and division. They鈥檝e completely lost the plot,鈥 Kolvet said, describing the ADL鈥檚 criticism as 鈥渁 badge of honor.鈥
Meanwhile, Democrats offered a competing perspective from afar.
鈥淒onald Trump is so dangerous for Michigan and dangerous for America and dangerous for Black people,鈥 said Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, who is African American. He called it "offensive鈥 for Trump to address the Turning Point conference, which was taking place at the same convention center that was 鈥渢he epicenter of their steal the election effort.鈥
Indeed, dozens of angry Trump loyalists chanting 鈥淪top the count!鈥 descended on the TCF Center, now named Huntington Place, the day after the 2020 presidential election as absentee ballots were being counted. Local media captured scenes of protesters outside and in the lobby. Police prevented them from entering the counting area.
The protests occurred after Trump had tweeted that 鈥渢hey are finding Biden votes all over鈥 in several states, including Michigan.
The false notion that Biden benefited from widespread voter fraud has been widely debunked by voting officials in both parties, the court system and members of Trump鈥檚 former administration. Still, Trump continues to promote such misinformation, which echoed throughout the conservative convention over the weekend.
Speaking from the main stage, Turning Point founder and CEO Charlie Kirk falsely described the conference location as 鈥渢he scene of a crime.鈥
Pitching the conversation forward, Trump raised the possibility of election fraud this fall.
鈥淲e need to watch the vote. We need to guard the vote,鈥 Trump charged. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so corrupt, the whole election process.鈥
Such extreme rhetoric does not appear to have hurt Trump鈥檚 standing with Black voters.
Among Black adults, Biden鈥檚 approval has dropped from 94% when he started his term in January 2021 to just 55%, according to an poll published in March.
About 8 in 10 Black voters have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, with roughly two-thirds saying they have a 鈥渧ery unfavorable鈥 view of him, according to an .
Trump won 8% of the Black vote in 2020, according to . And in what is expected to be a close election, even a modest shift could be consequential.
Omar Mitchell, a Detroit restaurant owner who participated in the church gathering, said he supports Trump because 鈥渕oney was pumping鈥 when he was president.
鈥淚n the old days, how we grew up was just because you鈥檙e Black means you鈥檙e a Democrat,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 out the door nowadays.鈥
Trump due to his economic and border security message, and that make him more relatable. At the church on Saturday afternoon, he repeatedly vowed to 鈥渂ring back the auto industry鈥 while also noting, 鈥淭he crime is most rampant right here and African American communities.鈥
Kimberly Taylor, who was invited on stage at the church by the Trump campaign, thanked Trump for 鈥渃oming to the hood,鈥 while pastor Lorenzo Sewell said Biden attended an NAACP dinner in the city 鈥渂ut never came to the hood.鈥
The pastor asked Trump how to 鈥渒eep the Black dollar in the Black community.鈥
The Black community, Trump said, 鈥渘eeds to stop the crime.鈥
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Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.
