Black minister gets prime-time speaking spot at convention

Donald Trump’s campaign has made a last-minute addition to the Republican National Convention lineup, scheduling the Rev. Mark Burns to speak twice during the gathering in Cleveland, Bloomberg Politics reports.

{mosads}Burns, a prominent black evangelical leader who often speaks at Trump rallies, was assigned a prime-time Thursday speaking spot after the Sunday morning shooting that killed three Baton Rouge, La., police officers and injured three more. 

“Unity — that’s the central theme to my message,” Burns said. “We need to talk about coming together as a nation. I will be talking about unity and love. We must not be focused on our divisions. We are one people. We need unity and love.”

Burns told Bloomberg he will speak about the police officers who were killed in Dallas and Baton Rouge, as well as the recent killings of black men by law enforcement officers.

Burns is also scheduled to speak on Monday, but not in prime time. He was notified about the Thursday speaking opportunity Sunday evening at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.