It was an aggressive continuation of a strategy that he and his advisers believe should be a central part of his re-election effort: courting African-Americans, even if the odds look stacked against him and polls show that most black voters believe he is making the countrys racial issues worse. The administration welcomed five black guests in the first ladys box this year, days after Mr. Trumps re-election campaign aired an ad at the Super Bowl featuring Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old African-American woman who was granted clemency last year. Polls show that Mr. Trump has an uphill battle to win over black voters a Washington Post/Ipsos poll released last month showed that more than 80 percent of black respondents said they believed Mr. Trump was racist but he still used his annual address to try to gain some ground.
Gesturing to the guests, Mr. Trump highlighted the story of Charles McGee, 100, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, a squad of African-American pilots in World War II. Mr. Trump said he had pinned stars to promote Mr. McGee to brigadier general earlier on Tuesday in the Oval Office.
In touting his policies, which he said allowed wealthy people and companies to give money to disadvantaged areas, Mr. Trump showcased the story of Tony Rankins from Cincinnati, an Army veteran and former addict who he said was currently at work in an opportunity zone, a tax incentive that is intended to encourage investors to pump money into the nations poorest neighborhoods.
This is the first time that these deserving communities have seen anything like this, Mr. Trump said. It is all working! As he spoke, Mr. Trump also awarded a so-called opportunity scholarship to Janiyah Davis, the daughter of a single mother who, the president said, would do anything to give her daughter a better future. The mention of the scholarships designed to allow low-income families to send their children to a private school of their choice was meant to bolster the administrations efforts to promote school choice, an issue popular with minority voters. Mr. Trump used the opportunity to plug the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act.
During Mr. Trumps speech, some, but not all, members of the Congressional Black Caucus stood and applauded as Mr. Trump rattled off his administrations achievements. Earlier in the day, members of the Democratic groups leadership said they were not impressed with Mr. Trumps overtures, including the Super Bowl advertisement.