Chicago-area Republicans keep an eye on DNC, express support for Donald Trump

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Local Republicans are keeping an eye on this week's Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

ABC7 spoke with voters Wednesday who favor former President Donald Trump and the GOP ticket.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

With the exuberance of the DNC in full swing, some African-American Republicans from the Chicago area said Trump is still their pick.

Jimmy Lee Tillman is the president of the Martin Luther King Republicans. He said its a conservative organization founded in 2007 with roughly 750 members, they and have offices in Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit.

RELATED | Chicago DNC 2024: Live updates on protests, street closures, security, parking and more

"There is nothing the Democratic Party has offered to be a solution to the unemployment problem especially with the immigration problem here," Tillman said.

Unlike a majority of Black American, Tillman says people of color should support the Republican nominee for president and his running mate despite Trump's continued questioning of Vice President Kamala Harris' ethnicity and intelligence, along with a barrage of personal attacks.

"I think he's a genuine guy," Tillman said. "I don't think there's a racist bone in his body... and I know he's going to work hard to do right by the Black community."

Meanwhile, Trump allies traveled to Chicago for a third day Wednesday to continue their criticisms of Harris. They called her a weak and failed Vice President.

SEE ALSO | Republican VP candidate JD Vance speaks at crime, safety rally in Wisconsin

"She's been in the White House for almost four years. She hasn't been an outside observers in the community doing social work," Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes said. "She's been in the meeting, side by side with Joe Biden."

Black conservatives like Tillman added that Democrats have made, what he calls, empty promises to African Americans for years. He is convinced people of color will be better off with Trump.

'We're going to bring back the Freedmen's Bureau," Tillman said. "We're going to bring back the bureau for the native descendants of native Black Americans and make sure we get our rights that the government has entitled for us that have been ignored."

While Tillman said he and his membership don't have details about how a pro-Black agenda by a future Trump administration will be addressed, he's optimistic about the promise of a new deal for Black America.

"People got two choices, they can either stay home, which I think they should do, or vote for trump," Tillman said.

SEE ALSO | Donald Trump supporters hold rally in Woodstock ahead of Chicago DNC