charlotte, n.c. <u+2014> with less than two weeks before election day, donald j. trump returned to a policy-focused message in an address here wednesday that he billed as <u+201c>a new deal for black america.<u+201d> mr. trump laid out a platform that combined elements of his education proposals, tax cuts and immigration policies to revive urban areas that he has described as blighted and in despair. <u+201c>that deal is grounded in three promises: safe communities, great education and high-paying jobs,<u+201d> mr. trump told the crowd of roughly 700 people, gathered by invitation, in a more intimate setting than the raucous rallies that are the trademark of his campaign. he offered a few new proposals, including a plan to use tax holidays to help cities, a plan to encourage foreign companies to invest in blighted american neighborhoods, and a new <u+201c>federal disaster designation<u+201d> that would help direct funding to poverty-stricken urban areas, though mr. trump did not mention where the new money would come from. <u+201c>i will further empower cities and states to seek a federal disaster designation for blighted communities,<u+201d> he said, aiming to foster <u+201c>the rebuilding of vital infrastructure, the demolition of abandoned properties and the increased presence of law enforcement so we have safety in our community.<u+201d> mr. trump has made his blunt appeal to <u+201c>inner cities<u+201d> a central component of his stump speech for months, painting dire portraits of crime-ridden neighborhoods where <u+201c>you get shot<u+201d> simply for walking down the street. he constantly blames democrats for what he views as despairing livelihoods in american cities, imploring minority crowds at his rallies with rhetorical questions like <u+201c>what the hell do you have to lose?<u+201d> by supporting him. but in the more staid, policy-focused setting here on wednesday <u+2014> a theater converted from an old baptist church <u+2014> mr. trump made a more sober appeal from <u+201c>the party of abraham lincoln.<u+201d> <u+201c>it is my highest and greatest hope that the republican party can be the home in the future and forevermore for african-americans and the african-american vote because i will produce, and i will get others to produce, and we know for a fact it doesn<u+2019>t work with the democrats and it certainly doesn<u+2019>t work with hillary,<u+201d> he told the crowd. but his ominous appeals have yet to help his standing among african-american voters. a cbs news poll this month found mr. trump to have the support of just 4 percent of likely african-american voters . the speech represented a big shift in focus from mr. trump<u+2019>s morning, when he took a break from the campaign trail to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of his new hotel in washington, inviting a huge media contingent to document his new business venture. but at his event here, the hotel ceremony was still fresh on his mind as he boasted that the hotel was completed under budget and ahead of schedule and repeated a joke he made earlier in the day. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s right between the capitol building and the white house,<u+201d> he said, describing its location. <u+201c>so this way, i<u+2019>ll get to washington one way or the other.<u+201d> find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via facebook , twitter and the first draft newsletter . a version of this article appears in print on october 27, 2016, on page a17 of the new york edition with the headline: trump offers <u+2018>new deal<u+2019> to lure black voters to the republican fold. order reprints | today's paper | subscribe
donald trump offers his version of <u+2018>new deal for black america<u+2019>
nick corasaniti