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 Trump will speak before the Greater Charleston Business Alliance,
which supports minority businesses and is affiliated with the South
Carolina African American Chamber of Commerce.
South Carolina is one of the first U.S. states to hold a contest in
the process of picking the Republican nominee for president in the
November 2016 election.
Trump also will speak at an event in Columbia, the state capital,
hosted by South Carolina's Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott.
The real estate mogul and reality television personality could use
his appearance before the business group to try to repair his image
after upsetting various groups with brash talk, said Scott Huffmon,
a professor at Winthrop University in South Carolina.
Trump has infuriated Hispanic groups with harsh words on illegal
immigration, and he has drawn criticism for various comments about
women and, most recently, for not reprimanding a man at a campaign
event in New Hampshire who disparaged Muslims
 "He wants to be seen as the kind of Republican candidate that has
strong feelings but no prejudice, that has decided policies but no
bigotry," Huffmon said.
Trump leads in opinion polls of the Republican field, with about 38
percent in the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.
He has said his ideas for job creation will help him win minority
voters, including African-Americans.
In recent history, black voters have generally supported Democratic
candidates. But of the 15 Republican presidential candidates, Trump
did best among black Republicans and independents in a Reuters poll.
Business leaders are likely to be a friendly audience. Harold
Gillens, president of the Greater Charleston Business Alliance, said
he did not know what members thought of Trump but called him a "good
businessman making money."
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The group plans to meet with another Republican hopeful, Ohio
Governor John Kasich, later this week.
Both candidates are appearing in the backyard of Republican
presidential rival Lindsey Graham, South Carolina's senior U.S.
senator.
Trump's appearance is unlikely to sway black voters in South
Carolina, who will focus on the Democratic primary, said David
Woodard, a Clemson University professor who has worked in Republican
politics.
"To try and get African-Americans to go vote in a Republican primary
or anything is just nigh onto impossible," he said.
Trump's campaign declined to preview his comments. Gillens said his
group hoped the candidate would discuss how to get minority-owned
businesses government contracting opportunities.
For more on the 2016 presidential race, see the Reuters blog, "Tales
from the Trail" (http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/).
(Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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reserved.]
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