OPINION:
Donald Trump has a moment. After the horrific events in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas, he can unify the nation by positioning himself as the “law and order” candidate — the one man who can see what’s happening in our inner-cities clearly and truthfully to best prescribe remedies.
“The police are needed the most where crime is the highest,” the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said in a speech Monday. “Politicians and activists who seek to remove police or policing from a community are hurting the poorest and most vulnerable Americans.”
“Too many Americans are trapped in fear, violence and poverty. Our inner-cities have been left totally behind, and I’m going to fight to make sure every citizen of this country has a safe home, a safe school and a safe community,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump declared himself the “law and order” candidate — which is not only what’s needed, but stands in a direct contrast to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Make no mistake, Mrs. Clinton polls better within African-American communities, and she has done a tremendous job in outreach to this community while campaigning. Yet, many critics say Mrs. Clinton lacks an authenticity and ability to connect — and voters don’t find her honest or trustworthy.
Mrs. Clinton’s credibility was further damaged last week, when FBI Director James B. Comey said Mrs. Clinton was “extremely careless” about her use of a home-brew email server, saying she lacked the sophistication to understand classification markings and may have put national security secrets at risk.
Although Mr. Comey didn’t recommend that the Department of Justice indict the former secretary of state, he did indict her politically.
After the report, 57 percent say the email incident makes them worried about how Mrs. Clinton might act as president if she’s elected, with most very worried about it, according to an ABC News poll. Overall, 56 percent disapprove of Mr. Comey’s final decision not to indict.
Mr. Trump, in contrast, has come across as an able leader.
A little over one-quarter of the electorate show Mr. Trump is the choice of voters who say they are particularly interested in electing a strong leader, according to a recent Bloomberg politics survey. A Gallup poll in May demonstrated six in 10 Americans think Mr. Trump is a strong and decisive leader.
Where Mr. Trump has fallen short is in his policy ideas — what are some of his recommendations to make sure every citizen in this country has a safe home, school and community? On policy, Mrs. Clinton is eager to push gun control and criminal justice reform. Although Republicans will pass on gun control, criminal justice reform has been an area of bipartisanship in Washington — where Mr. Trump can have an impact.
In these recent days of division — the words and tone Mr. Trump’s using are correct, and he’s the right messenger. He now needs some depth to his proposals to show his seriousness on the issue — and perhaps in doing so, win some African-American and independent votes.
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