Trump Vows Equal Opportunity           02/28 06:28

   President Donald Trump on Thursday cited low unemployment rates for African 
Americans and passage of a criminal justice bill providing earlier release for 
thousands of federal drug offenders as examples of how he's helping the black 
community.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday cited low unemployment 
rates for African Americans and passage of a criminal justice bill providing 
earlier release for thousands of federal drug offenders as examples of how he's 
helping the black community.

   Trump met with African American supporters Thursday as part of the White 
House commemoration of Black History Month.

   "I will not stop. I will not give up until we have delivered equal and 
abundant opportunity to every neighborhood across our land," Trump said at a 
reception.

   Before the reception, he met with black supporters who complained that Trump 
was not being given enough credit, or that he had been portrayed unfairly as 
racist.

   "You attack him, you attack all of us," said Bruce LeVell of Georgia.

   Trump's reelection campaign has stepped up its outreach to black Americans 
as it tries to claw away support from the traditionally Democratic voting bloc 
ahead of November's general election.

   Approval of Trump among black Americans has been consistent at about 1 in 10 
over the course of his presidency. A Pew Research Center analysis of people who 
participated in its polls and were confirmed to have voted showed Trump won 
just 6% of black voters in 2016.

   But the campaign claims it is seeing an uptick of support among black men in 
particular --- and notes that even a small shift in the electorate could decide 
close races.


(KR)