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Trump addresses historically black colleges and universities conference

President Trump touted his administration's economic record for African-Americans during the 2019 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, insisting that no other candidate can beat his record in 2020. 

"When I'm on that debate stage, these are pretty good numbers," the president said, mentioning African-American poverty rates. "... Who's going to beat these numbers?" he added. 

At the beginning of his term, the president said his administration would focus on HBCUs, although the administration has said little about such efforts in the last year. In 2018, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the Trump administration is "taking important steps to ensure that HBCUs and the students they serve remain influential players in their communities and in our country." Last year, the president said historically black colleges are "cherished and vital" institutions." 

The president's address came hours after he announced on Twitter that John Bolton is no longer his national security adviser. 

This event is now over. 

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