Donald Trump's campaign manager today defended her candidate’s outreach to African-American voters, saying he "deserves credit" for doing so.
"This conversation has to be had,” Kellyanne Conway said on “Good Morning America,” referring to Trump's recent remarks that included his suggestion that black Americans are "living in poverty."
“Usually, Republican nominees are not bold enough to go into communities of color and compete for all ears and all votes. Mr. Trump deserves credit,” she added.
Trump: No Path to Legalization for Undocumented Immigrants Trump Campaign App's Data Grab Could Expose Your Contact List, Experts SayShe also criticized Hillary Clinton's relationship with the black community, suggesting that her policies would not help them. "Her policies have left many people behind," she told co-host George Stephanopoulos.
Clinton has held an overwhelming advantage among black voters in recent polls.
Conway also addressed Trump's characterization of Clinton as a "bigot."
"Hillary Clinton is a bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future,” Trump told a mostly white crowd at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi, earlier this week.
Discussing the widespread criticism of his remarks, Conway said this morning, "Have you seen what this man has been called on a regular basis?"
The interview also covered Trump's immigration plan, the details of which have been questioned in recent days, after the Republican nominee appeared to soften his stance on the issue.
She suggested that some of the confusion around how Trump would execute his immigration plan stemmed from its scope, and the degree to which it represented a new phenomenon.
"This has never been tried on such a scale," she said.
Conway referred to the record-setting number of deportations conducted by President Obama as a precedent for how Trump would deal with the issue, and added that Trump would provide "absolutely no amnesty."
He's "going to build a wall, and protect the [American] worker," she said.