Former President Donald Trump’s appearance prompted backlash among members of the National Association of Black Journalists. Others argued the event provided a venue for a former president, and potentially future president, to focus on Black issues.
Former President Donald Trump questioned whether Vice President Kamala Harris is Black and lambasted a moderator’s question about derogatory statements he has made towards the Black community in a combative 37-minute interview before thousands of Black reporters in Chicago on Wednesday.
The question-and-answer session at the National Association of Black Journalists conference began more than an hour late — with Trump blaming audio issues — and ending early, with no explanation.
The short event was full of incendiary comments from the former president. When asked if it was appropriate to call Harris a “DEI hire,” which many Republicans are calling her, Trump accused Harris of “only promoting Indian heritage.”
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
Rachel Scott, a congressional correspondent for ABC News and the event’s moderator, replied»,She’s always been Black.”
Trump added, “She was Indian all the way and all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black woman.”
Scott’s first question was an overview of derogatory comments and actions Trump has made towards the Black community. «.You’ve used animal and rabbit to describe Black district attorneys. You’ve attacked Black journalists, calling them a loser, saying the questions they asked are, ‘stupid and racist.’ You had dinner with a white supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you’re asking Black supporters to vote for you, why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question so, in such a horrible manner,” Trump replied, adding that he believed ABC News was “fake news.” The former president brought up Scott’s question later in the event, calling it “very rude.”
“That wasn’t a question. She didn’t ask me a question. She gave a statement. That wasn’t a question,” Trump said.
The NABJ’s Q&A with Trump, held at the Hilton Chicago and announced on Monday night, caused internal and external backlash among the group’s members. Some members said Trump’s treatment of Black reporters during his presidential term was enough for them to boycott the event.
