Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Speaks at GOP Dinner, Praises Donald Trump

Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, has been making waves in the Republican party after being released from prison due to a commuted sentence by Donald Trump. In a recent speech at a Lincoln Day dinner hosted by the Oakland County Republican Party, Kilpatrick praised Trump and compared him to a firefighter who pulled his family out of a burning home.

I want Donald Trump in the room when Vladimir Putin shows up. - Kwame Kilpatrick

Kwame Kilpatrick meets Donald Trump. Image credit: _download_image

Kilpatrick was greeted with polite applause by the 300-strong audience, but some guests were divided on his presence. Aaron Tobin, an Orthodox Jew who is running for Oakland County Commission, said he would listen to Kilpatrick’s speech with an open mind, but was not convinced that he deserved a second chance.

Kilpatrick credited Trump with rescuing him from prison by commuting his sentence, and compared the former president to a firefighter who pulled his family out of a burning home. He said he is grateful for his freedom and has become a changed man after a religious conversion on the concrete floor of a solitary confinement cell.

A Changed Man?

Kilpatrick said he became a changed man after a religious conversion on the concrete floor of a solitary confinement cell. This was followed by a janitor job in the prison chapel that deepened his faith. He wore a blue suit with a salmon-colored tie at the dinner and was seen glad-handing guests and smiling for photos.

Kwame Kilpatrick speaking at the GOP dinner. Image credit: _search_image

Kilpatrick was convicted of 24 counts, including racketeering, extortion, bribery, and fraud in March 2013. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmonds. However, in January 2021, Trump commuted Kilpatrick’s sentence to time served, and he was released from a federal prison in Louisiana within 24 hours.

A Second Chance?

Some guests at the dinner were divided on Kilpatrick’s presence, with some believing that he deserves a second chance and others feeling that he does not. Shirley Perryman, a 75-year-old Black woman who attended the dinner to support the Republican party, said she believes that Kilpatrick is a changed man and could potentially bring in voters who have a Biblical perspective.

I truly believe that he is a man of God now. - Shirley Perryman

Kwame Kilpatrick smiling. Image credit: _search_image

The question remains whether Kilpatrick’s speech at the GOP dinner will be enough to convince voters that he is a changed man and deserves a second chance. Only time will tell if his newfound faith and gratitude towards Trump will be enough to redeem him in the eyes of the public.