Ben Carson supports Trump's appeal to black voters

Dr. Ben Carson on Sunday supported Donald Trump’s outreach to African-American voters, defending Trump against accusations that the Republican presidential nominee is pandering to minorities and arguing Democrats “have the explaining to do.”

“I’ve had many discussions with him about it. He becomes very animated during those discussions. This is a subject about which he cares deeply,” Carson, a former 2016 Republican presidential candidate, told “Fox News Sunday.” "And what is going to be accomplished is something that many in the Democrat Party fear -- and that is an alternative."

The retired neurosurgeon made the comments a day after Trump attended services at the Great Faith Ministries International church in Detroit, where he vowed to listen to the concerns of black voters and to help them and other minorities in U.S. cities plagued by crime, high unemployment and underachieving schools.

“The Republican Party has not made an extensive outreach to certain communities, including the African-American community because they've pretty much written that off as Democrat territory. Donald Trump is changing that narrative,” said Carson, a Detroit native who accompanied Trump on his visit.

Later on “Fox News Sunday,” New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks said Trump was trying to “con” minority voters, including fellow blacks.

“It’s really the Democratic Party that has the explaining to do,” Carson said. “They’ve been in charge of our cities for a long time...Detroit was once the most prosperous city in the United States, some people say in the world. From there it went to the largest bankruptcy.."

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