Donald Trump’s appearance at an African-American church raises questions about criticism over ‘alt-right’ support.

Detroit, USA – On Saturday, Donald Trump appeared at the Great Faith Ministries, an African-American church in Detroit, seeking to appeal directly to black voters. Trump delivered a 20 minute message focusing on economic hardship in the black community, stating at one point “I want to help you rebuild Detroit, make the city the economic envy of the world … Things are going to get better.”

Mr. Trump also heaped praise on the congregation and the African-American religious community as a whole, by adding “For centuries, the African-American church has been the conscience of this country … The African-American faith community has been one of God’s greatest gifts to America and its people.”

Trump appeared to take a jab at both Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, and President Barack Obama, by adding “Our nation is too divided … We talk past each other and not to each other. And those who seek office do not do enough to step into the community and learn what’s going on. I’m here today to learn, so that we can together remedy injustice in any form, and so that we can also remedy economics so that the African-American community can benefit economically through jobs and income and so many other different ways … I believe we need a civil rights agenda for our time.”

After the service, Trump joined Dr. Ben Carson, his former GOP primary rival, on a trip to Carson’s boyhood home in Southwest Detroit.

While Trump was warmly greeted by churchgoers, protesters had gathered outside before his arrival. Trump’s appeal comes after weeks of criticism that the Republican presidential nominee has failed to reach black voters, or worse, that he has actively sought to cater to white nationalists.

Speaking at a rally of supporters in Reno, Nevada on August 25^th, Hillary Clinton delivered a forceful attack on Trump, linking her general election opponent to the ‘alt-right’ movement in stark terms. “He’s taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America’s two major political parties,” said Mrs. Clinton. “He promoted the racist lie that President Obama isn’t really an American citizen – part of a sustained effort to delegitimize America’s first black President,” added Clinton. “In 2015, Trump launched his own campaign for President with another racist lie. He described Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals.”

By framing the Trump campaign as dominated by racist elements, Mrs. Clinton delivered a powerfully negative message in the traditional swing state of Nevada. Nevada currently contains the fifth-highest percentage of Latinos as a share of population size. It is also a traditional swing state in presidential elections, having narrowly been won by the Democratic nominee in 2012 and 2008, and the Republican nominee in 2004 and 2000. Mrs. Clinton currently holds a narrow lead of 2.3 percent in the Real Clear Politics polling average of the state. By winning the state’s six electoral votes, Mrs. Clinton would considerably narrow Mr. Trump’s possible paths to an Electoral College victory.

While campaigning in New Hampshire, Mr. Trump had attempted to head off the incoming criticism from his opponent. “The news reports are that Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists,” said Mr. Trump. “It’s the oldest play in the Democratic playbook.”

Not all members of Mr. Trump’s party see the issue as one-sided. “I think whenever the issue of race is raised in the political arena both sides are guilty of launching attacks against the other,” said Don Bramer. “Both sides have a tendency to use that to gain political fodder, it’s unfortunate and neither side is right on the issue.”

Mr. Bramer is a longtime Republican operative, Navy veteran, and chairman of the Bramer Group in Kentucky and Washington, DC. He is currently undecided on which candidate to support in the upcoming election.

The address came shortly after the Trump campaign named Breitbart News LLC executive chairman Stephen Bannon as its Chief Executive Officer, a position that does not exist in typical political campaigns. The Trump organization accepted the resignation of campaign chairman Paul Manafort at the same time, and elevated republican pollster Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager, a position that does exist in typical presidential campaigns.

Mr. Bannon has described the Breitbart News site as “the platform for the alt-right” in a recent interview, and was widely seen as supportive of Mr. Trump through the Republican primary process.

The alt-right movement is—in a description found on the Breitbart News site itself—comprised of groups as diverse as “Isolationists, pro-Russians and ex-Ron Paul supporters frustrated with continued neoconservative domination of the Republican party…” The movement is mostly known for advocating white supremacy, misogyny, and virulent opposition to immigration.

The attack by Mrs. Clinton marked some of the most strident criticism delivered by the candidate toward Mr. Trump over the course of the campaign. Those criticisms and their tone are likely harbingers of what is to come, as the presidential contest rapidly heads to a conclusion in early November.

Both campaigns are preparing the take each of their respective arguments into the most critical contests remaining in the general election—the presidential debates. Beginning in late September, the three presidential debates represent the last major opportunities either campaign will have to substantially alter the trajectory of the race.

Michael D. Connolly, Senior Political Correspondent, Lima Charlie News

Michael Connolly is a former Army Staff Sergeant who served in the Infantry, completing two combat tours to Iraq. He currently serves as the Director of Military and Veterans Affairs for the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland-College Park. Michael is a member of the Truman National Security Project Defense Council. He graduated with an M.S. in Political Science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Follow Michael on Twitter: @MConnollyLC

Lima Charlie provides global news, insight & analysis by military veterans and service members Worldwide.

For up-to-date news, please follow us on twitter at @LimaCharlieNews