Black religious leaders: No Trump endorsement

But Trump’s mere announcement that it wasn’t a “press event” upset Teigen, who usually has no problem speaking her mind on social media. “Most recently, he admitted his supporters were justified for punching and kicking a black protester who had attended a Trump rally with the intent to remind the crowd that ‘Black Lives Matter'”.

The incident and Trump’s response to it left some incredulous that a large group of black religious leaders would endorse him.

Atlanta-based preacher and author Cindy Trimm said she planned to meet with Trump “against the backdrop” of threats of more terrorist attacks around the world, but would not automatically grant her support.

After news of the meeting became public, over 100 leaders in the African-American community published an open letter to the ministers, urging the attendees to consider Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail, which they called “overtly divisive and racist”.

Donald Trump had the Internet up in arms yet again this past week when it was announced that the Republican presidential candidate would meet with a group of black pastors. Vaughn said online that Trump “is an insult and embarrassment”.

Last Wednesday, Trump’s campaign announced to reporters that it would be holding a Monday-afternoon “press conference”, and that he would be “joined by a coalition of 100 African American Evangelical pastors and religious leaders who will endorse the GOP front-runner after a private meeting”. Trump’s campaign “thought it was going to be a press conference for an endorsement when it wasn’t”, Scott said Sunday in an interview.

The campaign also shifted its language, removing the previous assertion that clergy members “will endorse” Trump, and replacing it with a clause about the clergy being “expected to endorse” Trump in the latter.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks says that Trump is still meeting privately with pastors on Monday before departing for a rally in Georgia. They also expressed concern that the meeting on Monday would “give Trump the appearance of legitimacy among those who follow your leadership and respect your position as clergy”.

“I am attending this meeting for a greater cause – unity”, she wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

These actions are more than likely the main reasons why black pastors are reluctant to endorse Donald Trump for President.

The Trump campaign explained its cancellation Sunday and its decision to bar media from the event.

She added that she was invited to the meeting but will not be attending.

The outcome of his NY meeting didn’t seem to faze Trump, however, saying he was “amazed” by Monday’s events and it was a “beautiful thing” that none of the attendees asked him to change the tone of his message.

Scott, whose wife, Belinda Scott, is a cast member in Lifetime’s reality series “Preach”, told the Daily Beast that he will endorse Trump.