Trump to GOP: Improve African-American outreach

Associated Press

FREDERICKSBURG, VA.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said his party must do a better job appealing to African-American voters and that he wants the GOP to become their political home as it was in the era of Abraham Lincoln.

“I fully recognize that outreach to the African-American community is an area where the Republican Party must do better, and will do better,” Trump said during a rally in Fredericksburg, between Richmond and Washington in the critical battleground state of Virginia.

In spite of past fiery rhetoric that alienated many minority voters, Trump said that he wants “an inclusive party.” He noted that the “GOP is the party of Abraham Lincoln” and said, “I want our party to be a home of the African-American voter once again.”

Trump has about 80 days to reset and rally a presidential campaign that’s done little but stagger since the close of the Republican convention. The GOP nominee’s allies say the celebrity businessman and his new leadership team are “laser-focused” and ready to direct the billionaire’s venom against Democratic Hillary Clinton.

“This has been one of the best weeks the campaign has had,” said Sean Spicer, chief strategist at the Republican National Committee.

For much of the past year, Trump has ignored the tools of modern-day presidential campaigns. That’s a big reason why Trump’s Republican critics are skeptical their party’s nominee has the time or discipline to rescue his struggling White House bid.

Meanwhile, It’s no day at the beach, but Hillary Clinton is having the political equivalent of a quiet August.

Trump may be dominating the political chatter as he reboots a trailing campaign, but it’s Clinton who’s winning positive headlines during visits to some of the most competitive states in the presidential race.

The Republican nominee’s constant state of campaign chaos is dulling the impact of stories about Clinton’s emails and allowing her to spend plenty of time raising money behind closed doors.

“I think she’s actually smart to stay quiet at this time. She’s not a popular candidate with the Democrats. She has a lot of negatives herself. There’s a lot of news that could be made about her,” said Rick Tyler, a former aide to Ted Cruz, the Texas senator and onetime Trump rival.

Democratic mega-donors, including George Soros and Tom Steyer, are putting millions of dollars into efforts to put Clinton in the White House and win control of the Senate. Their investment comes as Republicans worry about not only the chances of their nominee Trump, but also his effect on down-ballot races.

Yet few of the GOP’s biggest donors have put major money into Trump efforts, a striking change from four years ago when Mitt Romney had more million-dollar donors on his side than did President Barack Obama. They’re also not rushing to help save the Senate, based on the July reports from GOP super PACs.

The presidential candidates and many outside groups were required to report their July fundraising and spending details to the Federal Election Commission by midnight Saturday.