Donald Trump will use back-to-back stops Saturday to court Black voters and a conservative group that has been accused of attracting white supremacists as the Republican presidential candidate works to stitch together a coalition of historically divergent interests in battleground Michigan.
Trump is scheduled to host an afternoon roundtable at an African American church in downtown Detroit. Later he will appear at the "People's Convention" of Turning Point Action, a group that the Anti-Defamation League says has been linked to a variety of extremists.
Roughly 24 hours before Trump planned to address the conference, well-known white supremacist Nick Fuentes entered Turning Point's convention hall surrounded by a group of cheering supporters. He was quickly escorted out by security.
Fuentes created political problems for Trump after Fuentes attended a private lunch with the former president and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West at Trump's Florida estate in 2022.
Trump's weekend plans underscore the evolving political forces shaping the presidential election this fall as he tries to deny Democratic President Joe Biden a second term.
Turning Point has emerged as a force in GOP politics in the Trump era, particularly among his "Make America Great Again" movement, despite the ADL's warning that the group "continues to attract racists."
"Numerous individuals associated with the group have made bigoted statements about the Black community, the LGBTQ community and other groups," the ADL, an international anti-hate group, wrote in a background memo. "While TPUSA (Turning Point USA) leaders say they reject white supremacist ideology, known white nationalists have attended their events."
A Turning Point spokesperson did not respond to questions about the ADL's characterization.
Turning Point, long popular among Trump's MAGA fringe, is now a central player in mainstream Republican politics. The group's weekend speaking program featured a long list of established Republican politicians, including U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
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