<p>Trump&#8217;s approval ratings among Black voters made a sharp, but temporary upturn when he criticized the Congressman Elijah Cummings and the city of Baltimore for its slums and misnmanagement. Has the Trump team found a crack in the armor of the Democratic machine with regard to African Americans?</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Speaking on <i>Fox News</i> about Republicans’ efforts to win the black vote in 2020, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk predicted Trump would “over-perform in the black community” next year. “In fact, I believe that’s going to be one of the keys to his re-election bid,” he said. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“We’re starting to see more and more people defect from these leftist monoliths,” added Kirk. &#8220;There’s a movement here away from the idea that you have to be a Democrat, that you have to be on the left.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">This month, black actor Isaiah Washington told <i>Fox News</i> he was ready to walk away from the Democratic Party: </span><span class="s1">“You got a lot of conservative-, centric-, libertarian-minded people, they are terrified to come out of the closet and say anything that is not in line with the Democratic Party,” said Washington, adding that the policy is always more important than the person. </span><span class="s1">“Walking away…is a sacrifice, it’s a risk, and there’s a penalty for it. But I will only walk away when it matters.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Kirk has also encouraged black voters to focus on Trump’s policies rather than what he says (or tweets). Under Trump&#8217;s leadership, we have seen the black poverty rate and black unemployment rate reach historic lows.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Do I think some of his verbal formulations are inartful? Yeah,” says former Cincinnati mayor Ken Blackwell. “But for me…it has been all about the agenda, a set of results and tomorrow. You have to believe his policy agenda flies in the face of the false narrative of the racist in charge.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hundreds of young black leaders will have the opportunity to visit the White House next month during Turning Point USA’s black leadership summit. Attendees will hear from conservative leaders and have the opportunity to participate in professional development and leadership training.</span></p>
<p><strong>Turning Point is also affiliated with</strong><span class="s1"><strong> “Blexit” &#8211; a campaign that encourages African Americans to abandon the Democratic Party.</strong> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Black Americans are going to wake up and realize that we have been lied to, used and abused by the Democratic Party,&#8221; says Blexit founder Candace Owens. </span><span class="s1">“Democrats have taken everything from you&#8230;and they have the audacity to tell us to look to the border and look to Mexico and that we should be caring about illegals before black America!”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">All the GOP needs to do is move the black vote by 5% and the Democratic Party is finished, says Owens.</span></p>
<p><em>President Trump won 8% of the black vote in 2016. That year, he predicted he would win 95% of the black vote in 2020 if he won a first term and ran for re-election. <span class="s1">Black approval for Trump increased to the mid-20’s last month after he criticized Democratic leadership of major cities. </span></em></p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong> I believe the pundits are acting as feelers for a potentially intense attack on the Democratic flank. Trump has made a practice of appearing and supporting national Republican candidates. If he starts appearing with Republican mayor and city council members in Democratic run cities, he could very well shift the balance of black support enough for a substantial advantage. He has the ammuniction &#8211; a) he has increased black employment substantially, and b) he can reasonably say the Democrats appear to have a vested interest in maintaining black poverty in their cities.</p>
<p>Can he do it?</p>