Setting aside his usual stridency, Trump adopted a humble tone, telling his audience at the Good Faith Ministries International church that he came to listen, expressing sympathy for the out-of-work young men he had seen on boarded-up Detroit streets.
"Nothing is more sad than when we sideline young black men with unfulfilled potential, tremendous potential," Trump said, speaking from notes.
"Our whole country loses out without the energy of these folks. We're one nation. And when anyone hurts, we all hurt together," he said.
Blacks account for 12 per cent of the US electorate, and Trump, who trails in the polls, recently has sought gingerly to widen his base.
Before the speech, protesters chanting "Dump Trump" and "We're going to church" tried to push through police barriers to gain entrance.
"The devil's in the pulpit," shouted Wyoman Mitchell, one of about 150 protesters who were pushed back by police on foot and on horseback in the tense encounter.
Trump also sat for an interview with Jackson that will be aired at a later date. The New York Times reported that Jackson submitted questions in advance, but it was not known whether the two men went off script.
"I didn't really know what I was getting myself in to. I didn't know. Was this going to be nice? Was this going to be wild?" Trump said of the interview, in remarks to the congregation.
"He's a great gentleman and a very smart guy. I just hope you don't lose him to Hollywood."
"What do you have to lose?" he said nearly two weeks ago, rhetorically addressing African Americans in a speech before a white audience in Ohio.
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