As he was delighted to point out, he now has the highest poll rating among Hispanic and African-American voters of any Republican presidential candidate in modern times. Trump took just eight per cent of the black vote in 2020. But new polling suggests that 23 per cent of black voters in six of the key swing states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – will vote for him in 2024, enough to have a significant impact on the election. His nationwide approval rating among Hispanics is even more startling. He is on 46 per cent compared with Biden on 40 per cent. This represents a 39-point swing in Trump’s favour over the past four years. This could prove even more decisive in the election.

You need only to listen to his speech to the Black Conservative Federation to understand the appeal. Biden’s Democrats ‘have thrown black Americans overboard’, he told the audience. Black homeownership peaked during his presidency, he boasted, while black unemployment hit record lows. Crime has increased across 29 major US cities since he left office, he pointed out.