Donald Trump's visit to Detroit Saturday "was a perfect infomercial to show white voters that Donald Trump cares about black people" — but the Republican presidential nominee "wasn't wrong for coming," Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley said.
"If he had ignored black voters, people would be setting their hair on fire — even though fewer than 1 percent of black voters are expected to support him," she said of Trump's visit to Great Faith Ministries International. "With Hillary Clinton getting hit by bad news regarding e-mails and investigations almost weekly, it would be folly to continue to pretend that Trump isn't actually running, no matter how offensive he is."
She added that Great Faith's pastor, Bishop Wayne Jackson, also should not be faulted for inviting Trump — since his interview for his Impact Network "could be a ratings coup" for the cable operation when it is shown next week.
But while Trump's visit shined a light on the nominee and Detroit — "Motown needs every spotlight it can get, even one whose glare is a reminder that someone who has never set foot in a black church could be inaugurated in January" — it underscored a far more troubling reality in politics.
"It put a spotlight on pandering," Riley said, "how little tolerance there must be for it from now on and how little respect we have for some black people that critics and politicians think they could be so easily swayed."
Riley illustrated her point via the comments of a longtime Great Faith member, Keli Donald, 30, a University of Michigan pre-med student.
"I vote for who I feel is best," she told the columnist. "I follow my heart.
"I think Donald Trump should be held responsible for the things that come out of his mouth," Donald added. "And it's possible to hear from him and not be swayed."
Riley concluded: "Spoken like someone for whom we should have more respect than to think because the circus came to town, she bought a ticket."
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