Instead of speaking to the congregation at Great Faith Ministries International, Mr. Trump had planned to be interviewed by its pastor in a session that would be closed to the public and the news media, with questions submitted in advance.
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The interview will air about a week later on the Impact Network, Bishop Jackson’s Christian cable TV channel.
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The official said several Trump aides would work with the network to edit the taped interview so that the final version reflected the campaign’s wishes.

Leaked Script Shows What Advisers Want Donald Trump to Say at Black Church


DETROIT — Donald J. Trump’s visit to a black church here on Saturday will be a major moment for a candidate with a history of offending the sensibilities of black Americans.

His team was leaving nothing to chance.

Instead of speaking to the congregation at Great Faith Ministries International, Mr. Trump had planned to be interviewed by its pastor in a session that would be closed to the public and the news media, with questions submitted in advance. And instead of letting Mr. Trump be his freewheeling self, his campaign prepared lengthy answers for the submitted questions, consulting black Republicans to make sure he says the right things.

An eight-page draft script obtained by The New York Times shows 12 questions that Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, the pastor, intends to ask Mr. Trump in the taped question-and-answer session, as well as the responses Mr. Trump is being advised to give.

The proposed answers were devised by aides working for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to an official who has been involved in the planning but declined to be identified while speaking about confidential strategy.

The document includes the exact wording of answers the aides are proposing for Mr. Trump to give to questions about police killings, racial tension and the perception among many black voters that he and the Republican Party are racist, among other topics.

The official said the answers could change based on feedback from the black Republicans they are consulting with.

After this article was published online Thursday night, Jason Miller, the senior communications adviser for the Trump campaign, said that Mr. Trump’s plans had changed and that he would address the congregation for five to 10 minutes after the interview. Mr. Trump will then visit neighborhoods with Ben Carson, a onetime campaign rival, who supports Mr. Trump and grew up in Detroit.

“If you know anything about Mr. Trump, it’s that he will want the opportunity to take his vision and message of opportunity directly to the people on Saturday,” Mr. Miller said.

It is not uncommon for a candidate to request interview questions in advance; aides to Hillary Clinton do it from time to time. But it is unusual for a campaign to go so far as to prepare a script for a candidate’s own responses, and highlights the sensitivity of Mr. Trump’s first appearance at a black church. A series of slights, including his questioning of President Obama’s birth certificate, has not endeared him to black voters.

The interview will air about a week later on the Impact Network, Bishop Jackson’s Christian cable TV channel. The official said several Trump aides would work with the network to edit the taped interview so that the final version reflected the campaign’s wishes. (On Thursday night, Mr. Miller said the campaign would not edit the interview.)

The arrangements had angered several black Republicans, who urged Mr. Trump, widely seen as distant from the black community, to speak for at least 10 minutes at the service, the official involved in the planning said. The official added that the campaign had been uncomfortable with Mr. Trump’s speaking before the congregation and had insisted on a private interview.

On Thursday night, the campaign said Mr. Trump would indeed address the congregation for a few minutes and would spend a half-hour casually speaking with church members individually.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/us/politics/donald-trump-black-voters-wayne-jackson.html

Last edited by Goose (9/03/2016 7:30 am)