Former President Donald Trump’s appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists generated controversy as soon as it was announced — and went off the rails just as quickly once it started.
Trump was more than an hour late to the Q&A alongside ABC News congressional correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba. According to HuffPost, the delay was caused — at least in part — by a backstage “standoff” between Trump and NABJ organizers over the use of live fact-checking during the panel.
When the former president finally did make it onto the stage, it was with an air of hostility towards Scott, who opened the session by asking Trump why Black voters should trust him, given his past comments about Black people and lawmakers, as well as his interactions with avowed white supremacists.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump responded, calling ABC News a “fake” news network. “I came here in good spirit — I love the black population of this country,” he said, adding: “I have been the best president for the black population since Abraham Lincoln.”
He then claimed that the delay preceding the panel was caused by technical issues.
Scott pressed Trump on recent statements from Republicans accusing Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, of being a “DEI hire” or “DEI candidate,” and not a politician elected by voters on her merit.
“I’ve known her a long time indirectly,” Trump said. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black.”
Scott interjected, noting that Harris — who is of both Indian and Jamaican descent — has always identified as a Black woman.
“She made a turn, and she became a Black person, and I think somebody should look into that,” Trump continued.
Trump rolled out Birtherism 2.0 today and it did not go well pic.twitter.com/iQhFJ6vPem
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
The former president also claimed that he had been brought onto the panel “under false pretenses,” and that he had been promised he would be appearing alongside Harris.
Later in the conversation, Trump was asked if he would take a cognitive test, and agreed to do so. He then claimed Harris — who served as San Francisco district attorney and California’s attorney general — “failed her law exam.”
“She didn’t pass the law exam,” he said. “So maybe she wouldn’t pass the cognitive test.”
This wasn’t the first time Trump made offensive comments to a Black audience in the course of his 2024 campaign. In February, speaking at the Black Conservative Federation Honors Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, he claimed that “a lot of people” thought his four criminal indictments were the reason that “Black people like me,” and that “they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against.” He said the criminal charges were a “great badge of honor,” adding: “I’m being indicted for you, the Black population.”
Although Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, was also invited to appear at the NABJ convention, its president Ken Lemon said that she was unable to attend. “NABJ was in contact with Vice President Kamala Harris’ team for an in-person panel before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July,” he wrote in a statement. “However, we were advised by her campaign that her schedule could not accommodate this request.” The association is currently in discussions with the campaign about a possible Harris Q&A, either virtual or in-person, to be held in September.
Before the event, Trump complained of Harris’ absence on Truth Social, writing: “Crazy Kamala disrespectfully refused to attend the National Association of Black Journalists Conference, but I am on my way to meet with them now in Chicago.”
Also ahead of the Trump interview, Harris campaign Black Media Director Jasmine Harris released a statement predicting that Trump would “lie about his record and the real harm he’s caused Black communities.” The release also noted that the former president has “a history of demeaning NABJ members and honorees who remain pillars of the Black press,” and is known for “attacking the media and working against the vital role the press play in our democracy.”
Trump’s invitation to the NABJ’s annual conference drew widespread criticism from members of the organization, prominent Black journalists, and media figures. Imara Jones, founder of TransLash Media, wrote on X that when she “accepted my NABJ Journalist of Distinction Award in 2022, I said that we have to resist our training which says that the truth always has two sides. Platforming Donald Trump at a professional event today doesn’t show even-handedness. It shows how democracies die.”
Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah stepped down as co-chair of the NABJ convention after Trump’s appearance was announced. “I have decided to step down as co-chair from this year’s #NABJ24 convention in Chicago,” Attiah wrote Tuesday on X. “To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck.”
From Rolling Stone US
