Donald Trump has visited a black
church in Detroit in an attempt to claw some of the minority vote away
from Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
He told the congregation he "fully understands that the African American community has suffered discrimination".
The Republican candidate will also tour a neighbourhood in the predominantly black city, his staff said.
Polls say Mr Trump, who is lagging behind Mrs Clinton, has low support among black and Hispanic voters.
Accompanied
by Ben Carson, a former Republican presidential hopeful who grew up in
the city, Mr Trump arrived at the church to the sound of protests
against him taking place outside.
Inside, he gave a scripted
one-on-one interview with the church's pastor, Bishop Wayne T Jackson,
which will be aired by Bishop Jackson's own Impact TV network next week.
Mr
Trump then attended a service before addressing the congregation with a
prepared speech, striking an unusually measured and humble tone.
"Nothing is more sad than when we sideline young black men with tremendous potential," he said.
He
said there were "wrongs that need to be made right" for the black
community, and praised black churches, saying: "For centuries the
African American church has been the conscience of our country".
He
pledged to revive Detroit, which has fallen behind economically since
the decline of its once-dominant car industry, promising "new roads and
bridges everywhere".
In his interview with Bishop Jackson, Mr Trump answered a set of
pre-approved questions with replies prepared by his campaign staff and
the Republican National Committee, the New York Times reported.
The
newspaper published a leaked copy of the 12 questions and answers,
which covered police killings, racial tension, and accusations that Mr
Trump is racist.
Mr Trump did not initially intend to address the
congregation, the Times said, but a spokesman for his campaign later
said plans had changed to incorporate a five to 10 minute scripted
address.
The controversial Republican
candidate has attempted in recent weeks to appeal to both black and
Hispanic voters, claiming he would create jobs in poor cities.
On
Friday he met black religious and community leaders in Philadelphia and
days earlier saw black and Latino Republicans in New York.
But months of hardline rhetoric on immigration and social issues have done little to endear Mr Trump to minority groups.
And
he has been criticised by some for addressing black issues in front of
largely white audiences, and for making critical statements about black
communities.
Mike Duggan, the mayor of Detroit, and Brenda Lawrence, Democratic
Representative, are expected to speak against Mr Trump in the city on
Saturday morning.
Earlier in the week, Mr Trump met Enrique Pena
Nieto, the president of Mexico. Speaking in Mexico, he praised Mexican
immigrants to the US, some of whom he had earlier in the campaign
accused of being criminals and rapists.
But later the same day, in
a fiery speech in Arizona, Mr Trump struck a hardline stance on
immigration and insisted again he would force Mexico to pay for a wall
between the two countries.
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