Trump Uses Death of NBA Star’s Cousin to Highlight Inner-City Violence, Court Minority Votes
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used the death of NBA star Dwyane Wade’s cousin in his efforts to reach black voters on Saturday.
Dwyane Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016
The Chicago Bulls star Tweeted about Nykea Aldridge’s murder on Friday. Police say she was hit by bullets meant for someone else, and that they are looking for the two men responsible for her death.
Aldridge was on her way to register her kids for school, according to reports.
My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
Trump later offered his condolences to Wade’s family.
My condolences to Dwyane Wade and his family, on the loss of Nykea Aldridge. They are in my thoughts and prayers.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016
Trump’s comments about the black vote echo outreach begun last week to win minority votes. He is losing to Clinton among all voters, according to the most recent Real Clear Politics average of national polls, but especially among non-white voters. Ninety percent or more of black voters typically vote Democrat in presidential elections.
Trump also spoke of Aldridge in an Iowa speech on Saturday, saying her death “breaks our hearts. This shouldn’t happen in America.”
ABC7 reported that Wade’s mother, Pastor Jolinda Wade, said that she had been “talking about the violence that’s going on within our city of Chicago, never knowing that the next day we would be the ones that would be actually living and experiencing it.” Pastor Wade also said, “We’re still going to try and help these people to transform their minds and give them a different direction, so this thing won’t keep happening.”
“We’re still going to help empower people like the one who senselessly shot my niece in the head,” continued Pastor Wade, who is holding a special prayer service for Aldridge on Sunday.
Chicago is one of America’s most violent cities, with 468 homicides in 2015. Intellectual Takeout examined the homicide numbers for the year, finding that three-quarters of victims in Chicago were black, and 71 percent of people committing homicides are black.
Looking nationwide, the vast majority of homicide victims are killed by members of their own race, according to a 2011 U.S. Department of Justice report.
