Trump’s NABJ Interview Includes Attack on ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Questioning Kamala Harris’ Race

CHICAGO — Former President Donald Trump spoke at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists on Wednesday, where he attacked the first journalist who asked a question and insulted the racial identity of Vice President Kamala Harris.

During a panel discussion with three journalists, Trump questioned Harris’ blackness because of her South Asian descent.

“She was Native American the whole time, and then all of a sudden she changed her mind and became black. I think somebody needs to look into that,” Trump said in the shocking exchange.

Harris, whose mother emigrated from India and father from Jamaica, would be the first black woman to serve as president, as well as the first Asian-American to serve. Harris attended Howard University, a historically black university, and in 1986 pledged allegiance to a black sorority.

She blends both identities and spoke at events targeting both black and Asian voters in Philadelphia this year before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

The conversation was moderated by ABC’s Rachel Scott, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner and Semafor’s Kadia Goba and was expected to address “the most pressing issues facing the black community,” according to an announcement the group made Monday.

Scott began by asking about Trump’s promotion of birtherism — the false claim that former President Barack Obama and Harris were not born in the United States (Obama was born in Hawaii, while Harris was born in California). Scott also asked about his past ties to white supremacists (Trump had dinner with Holocaust denier Nicholas Fuentes in 2022) and other documented instances of racism on Trump’s part.

“I’ve never been asked a question in such a horrible way,” Trump told ABC’s congressional correspondent Scott.

Trump claimed that NABJ caused him to be tardy and that he was brought to the conference under false pretenses because he thought his opponent would be there as well.

“I think that’s a very rude introduction,” Trump said. “I don’t know why you would do something like that.” Trump then said he was the best president for black people since Abraham Lincoln.

Almost all of his comments drew groans and jeers from the crowd of mostly black journalists.

Harris’ campaign criticized Trump’s comments in a statement after the tumultuous call ended.

“The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life,” the statement said. “Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies throughout the campaign.”

Trump’s speech at the journalism convention preceded a rally planned for that evening in Harrisburg.

News of Trump’s presence at the NABJ conference was met with intense firestorm AND divided public opinionespecially among black journalists.

Karen Attiah of the Washington Post wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that resign as co-chair convention after the news. “While many factors influenced my decision, I was not involved in or in any way consulted with the decision to include Trump on the platform in this format.”

NABJ President Ken Lemon he defended the decision emphasizing that the group makes annual bids to Republican and Democratic Party candidates, on its website it is stated Political speakers were bipartisan.

According to April Ryan from GrioNABJ has been in touch with Vice President Kamala Harris’ team, but Harris was unable to schedule a live conversation and proposed a virtual fireside chat, which organizers declined. Lemon said in a statement that Harris will not be available even virtually for the conference.

Trump fielded questions about his vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance, defending the Ohio Republican and attempting to correct Vance’s comments about childless women.

Vance in 2021 called Democratic women, including Harris, “childless cat people” and suggested that the votes of people with children should be weighted more heavily. Trump has tried to walk back those comments, saying people who don’t have children are still good people.

In addition to comments about Harris’ racial identity, Trump has made other provocative comments, including saying that Latino immigrants take on “dark jobs.”

Asked if he would pardon the January 6 rioters who were filmed attacking police and convicted, he said: “Yes, if they are innocent.”

Trump clearly had a pliable spot for Fox News anchor Faulkner, complimenting her several times, in stark contrast to his dismissal of ABC correspondent Scott. His tone toward Semaphore’s Goba was neutral.

The lecture ended with cheers and applause, accompanied by shouts of “you’re a liar” and other taunts.

Many attendees were unhappy with Trump’s performance at the convention, though most did not feel comfortable talking about it openly.

“He’s the same today as he was yesterday and he’ll be the same in the future,” said Patricia Duncan, a Denver-based freelance journalist. “If you want to be a presidential candidate, you have to have a little more class, and he didn’t show it today.”

Allison Joyner, an independent journalist who was open to the idea of ​​Trump appearing, was disappointed.

“I had high hopes that he would take the request for our vote seriously,” Joyner said, “but I didn’t feel that way.”

Whether NABJ should have hosted Trump is not a partisan issue but an issue about this particular candidate, said Jelani Cobb, a noted New Yorker columnist and dean of Columbia Journalism School.

“I don’t think this person is being interviewed in the same way,” Cobb said after Trump’s question-and-answer session. “I think this format lends itself to the mass production of disinformation and misinformation.”