the guy who was against teleprompters before he was for them, goes way beyond.
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 is leaving nothing to chance.
Instead of speaking to the congregation at Great Faith Ministries International, Mr. Trump will be interviewed by its pastor in a session that will 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 has 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 church’s pastor, intends to ask Mr. Trump during 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.
To the first question, “Are you a Christian and do you believe the Bible is an inspired word of God?” the scriptwriters have a response they hope will keep Mr. Trump from repeating previous stumbles when asked about his faith.
“As I went through my life, things got busy with business, but my family kept me grounded to the truth and the word of God,” the script has Mr. Trump saying. “I treasure my relationship with my family, and through them, I have a strong faith enriched by an ever-wonderful God.”
Bishop Jackson said on Thursday that he did not know about any preparations the Trump campaign was making. He said he saw no problem with the campaign asking to screen his questions, and noted that in the past he had given advance text of prayers he planned to deliver at the White House.
“We want this to be as peaceful as possible,” Bishop Jackson said. “That’s what I promised would happen. I promised that: You are coming into a place to be interviewed and we don’t want anybody to be hurt or anybody to be misused, so that’s it.”
Of all the proposed answers, the most Trump-like might be his reply to the final question of the interview: What he would say to undecided black voters?
“If you want a strong partner in this journey, you will vote for me. I will never let you down,” Mr. Trump is directed to say, adding, “By the way, my support is now up to 8 percent and climbing.”
EXCERPTS FROM THE SCRIPT
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/u...column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
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 is leaving nothing to chance.
Instead of speaking to the congregation at Great Faith Ministries International, Mr. Trump will be interviewed by its pastor in a session that will 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 has 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 church’s pastor, intends to ask Mr. Trump during 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.
To the first question, “Are you a Christian and do you believe the Bible is an inspired word of God?” the scriptwriters have a response they hope will keep Mr. Trump from repeating previous stumbles when asked about his faith.
“As I went through my life, things got busy with business, but my family kept me grounded to the truth and the word of God,” the script has Mr. Trump saying. “I treasure my relationship with my family, and through them, I have a strong faith enriched by an ever-wonderful God.”
Bishop Jackson said on Thursday that he did not know about any preparations the Trump campaign was making. He said he saw no problem with the campaign asking to screen his questions, and noted that in the past he had given advance text of prayers he planned to deliver at the White House.
“We want this to be as peaceful as possible,” Bishop Jackson said. “That’s what I promised would happen. I promised that: You are coming into a place to be interviewed and we don’t want anybody to be hurt or anybody to be misused, so that’s it.”
Of all the proposed answers, the most Trump-like might be his reply to the final question of the interview: What he would say to undecided black voters?
“If you want a strong partner in this journey, you will vote for me. I will never let you down,” Mr. Trump is directed to say, adding, “By the way, my support is now up to 8 percent and climbing.”
EXCERPTS FROM THE SCRIPT
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/u...column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
