Trump appeals to legal immigrants, poor African Americans in Tampa rally

TAMPA — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, struggling in national polls with black and Hispanic voters, appealed Wednesday to Florida's legal immigrants and African Americans living in poverty with a promise that he will bring jobs and stop illegal immigration.

“Our inner-cities are suffering like never before. They’ve been run by Democrats for so many years. In some cases, almost 100 years," Trump told the packed crowd at the Florida State Fairgrounds. "Almost every city is run by the Democrats. Nearly four in 10 African American children live in poverty.”

“It cannot get any worse. And believe me. I'm going to fix it. I'm going to make it so good," he said.

Trump said he would help Hispanic citizens in Florida, a population that he said is made less safe and more vulnerable economically to illegal immigration and a broken visa system. In a state with an increasing Hispanic voter population, Trump recast an argument he's made to African American voters that illegal immigrants are a threat to those immigrants who came here legally.

“To the Hispanic voter, who have been absolutely treated terribly, I say, 'What do you have to lose? What? I will fix it,''” Trump said, repeating his vow to crack down on illegal immigration.

“To people that came into the country illegally, we’re going to fix that problem,” he said.

“And we’re going to fix our inner cities. And I say to the African American parent: you have the right to walk down the street of your city without having your child or yourself shot. And that’s what’s happening right now. To the Hispanic parent: you have a right to walk outside without being shot,” Trump said.

Live Updates: Donald Trump in Tampa

Trump spent much of his speech talking about the problems of illegal immigration, and said he would create an immigration system that would ensure that those seeking to enter the country reflect “our values.”

“I am going to institute a new ideological screening program to keep out people who don’t share our values,” Trump said to a roaring crowd that drowned him out.

“We are going to start promoting American values once again. It’s time to put the era of division behind us and to embrace a new America based on our common values. And our principles. Our principles.”

“And if people don’t like our values, and if people don’t like our principles, tell ‘em, 'Don’t come in,'” Trump said.

When Trump brought up Syrian refugees, the crowd started booing loudly, leading him into a sharp criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

“Maybe, this bothers me more than anything else, because I know bad things are going to happen. Hillary Clinton wants to increase by 550 percent over (President Barack) Obama, thousands and thousands of Syrian refugees coming into here,” Trump said.

“This is at the same time, we and Europe and everywhere else is experiencing tremendous problems, not only with attacks, but with lone-wolf attacks. That’s sickos that by themselves do tremendous destruction. You look at San Bernardino, you look at, wherever. You look at Orlando. You can look anywhere you want. The lone wolf attacker. The sicko. The sicko. And we’re allowing them in by the tens of thousands,” he said.

Trump assured the crowd that his promised wall along the Mexican border is still on.

“And it’s going to be a big wall. It’s going to be a real wall. It’s going to be as beautiful as a wall can be but it’s going to be a wall.”

Trump's enthusiastic audience cheered all the way through the end of his speech. He took the momentum to nail down a central point: "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created," he said.

“We are losing so many jobs to Mexico and other places. There have to be, there have to be repercussions for this. We cannot allow this to happen,” Trump said.

"We're going to protect your jobs. They're not going to be disappearing from you anymore."

In addition to punishing companies who move overseas, he said he would cut taxes for small businesses, which would help Florida in particular, a state he said with many small businesses, and many owned by Hispanics.

Trump promised to strip away unnecessary federal regulations, but vowed to make sure the environment is protected. "We want clean air, clean water," he said.

Trump said he was the best choice to manage environmental protection and deregulation, and punishment for companies going overseas. And he said he would protect the poor, the vulnerable and the jobless from Washington.

“The Washington insiders don’t want change. We know why. They’re making a fortune. They want things to keep going on, exactly as they are," Trump said.

“That’s why they’re throwing so much money to Hillary Clinton. It’s the powerful protecting the powerful,” Trump said.

Trump again criticized Clinton, claiming she sold access to the U.S. Department of State through her family's foundation. He again characterized her actions as criminal, and some in the crowd chanted, “Lock her up.”

For Julio Rodriguez, 81, the speech was convincing. Originally from Puerto Rico, Rodriguez, moved to the United States in 1950. Undecided until the rally, Julio Rodriguez said he was now 100 percent behind Trump.

Rodriguez, who speaks little English, had his son Norbert, 51, translate.  Both live in Kissimmee, where many of  the state's residents from Puerto Rico live inside the Interstate 4 corridor.

Norbert Rodriguez, who also supports Trump, said he lost his job as a truck driver seven years ago to two undocumented immigrants willing to split his salary between them, he said.

He now has a different, “better” job, but said the problem with undocumented workers taking jobs in his area is getting worse. He said many of his friends are competing with immigrants for work.

“They flood Home Depot and Lowes, taking jobs from Americans,” Norbert Rodriguez said.

Brenda and Lenny Rodriguez, 55 and 57, from Dade City, said they supported Trump because Obama’s policies have failed them.

“We lost our house in 2013,” said Brenda Rodriguez. “We went through the process of the HARP program. We went through all the steps and they wouldn’t work with us,” she said. The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), was created by the federal government to help homeowners refinance their mortgages.

“We aren’t looking for a hand out. We’re looking for a hand up,” said Lenny Rodriguez.