In a Chicago NABJ interview, Trump challenges Harris’ race and claims that the choice of vice president “does not have any impact.”
Vice President Kamala Harris’ race was erroneously questioned by former President Donald Trump during their heated encounter on Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists annual meeting in Chicago.
During the speech, Trump continued by declaring that his choice for vice president “does not have any impact” on the outcome of the election and that he would pardon rioters”
At the event, Trump was interviewed on stage by Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, and ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott.
ABC’s Scott posed the first query, focusing on Trump’s prior divisive remarks directed at women of color.
“Sir, let me begin by talking about the big issue. Many people didn’t think it was right that you were here today,” Scott remarked. “You have propagated untrue allegations that certain of your opponents, ranging from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, were not native Americans, an assertion that is untrue. You have advised four congresswomen—women of color and citizens of the United States—to return to their native countries. You have referred to Black district attorneys as “rabbits” and “animals.” You have disparaged Black journalists, labeling them as “losers,” and claiming that the inquiries they make are “racist and stupid.” At your Mar a Lago resort, you had supper with a white nationalist.”
To begin with, I don’t believe I have ever been questioned. So, first question in such an awful way. Not even a hello is exchanged. You are who you are? Do you work for ABC? Since I believe that they are a phony news network. awful network,” Trump said at the outset.
Following up, ABC’s Scott asked him to address her query, to which Trump replied, “I have addressed the query. Since Abraham Lincoln, I have been the most beneficial president for the Black community.”
The former president continued to make fun of Harris, and when questioned about Republican remarks that she is a “DEI” hiring, Trump sidestepped the question by repeatedly asking the journalist to define DEI.
It seems that Trump was also doubting Harris’ race.
“She turned Black a few years ago, and now that she’s Black, that’s when I found out that she was Black. Thus, I’m not sure if she’s Black or Indian.” stated Trump.
Harris is the child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
Following the NABJ interview, Harris’s team reacted by claiming that Trump’s on-stage “hostility” was a reflection of the “hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president.”
Michael Tyler, the communications director for the Harris campaign, stated in a statement that “today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign,”
Laura Washington, an ABC7 Political Analyst who is attending NABJ, stated, “He’s been so disrespectful to most particularly Black journalists, which is one major reason why many people didn’t want to see him here today.” “And he pursued Rachel Scott immediately after opening the box. That, in my opinion, summed up who he is and demonstrated why NABJ was wrong to invite him.”
NABJ and Politifact collaborated to fact-check Trump’s remarks in real time.
Some people were incensed over Trump’s visit, while others supported the choice to speak with the Republican presidential contender.
“I was hoping to hear a very different message. I desired to know the details. That is to say, he claims he is the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln. Okay, so how and why?” stated Hampton University senior attendee Morgan Norris.
In this community, he has a lot of support,” said Southland Journal publisher and attendee Cornel Darden.
Here are a few more noteworthy highlights from the conversation.
The reason he was at NAJB
Trump made an appearance at the conference as part of his ongoing efforts to win over Black voters. With less than 100 days until the November contest, Trump has a more formidable opponent with Harris’s entry into the 2024 race.
When pressed to elaborate on his motivation for going to NABJ, Trump attempted to assert once more that immigrants are stealing “Black jobs”—a claim for which he has come under fire.
Trump remarked, “A Black job is anybody that has a job,” in response to a question about what a “Black job” actually is. That’s the reality.”
He then went back to blaming migrants, criticizing Harris’s management of the border. Trump and other Republicans have labeled her the “border czar,” despite Biden having given her the task of addressing the underlying reasons of migration.
That’s any job, he said. However, many individuals, including African Americans, truly needed an explanation to such a demeaning name. My main query was: What constitutes a black job? And he didn’t respond to that query,” said Laura Washington, a political analyst with ABC7 Chicago who attended the Trump panel during the conference as a journalist.
