Donald Trump controversially appeared at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago on Wednesday (July 31). Trump attacked ABC News’ Rachel Scott when she questioned why Black voters should trust him during a panel discussion.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said. “A first question. You don’t even say hello, how are you? Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network. And I think it’s disgraceful that I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country.”
Trump claimed he was invited to the convention under false pretenses. He bashed Scott and the NABJ for the interview running late.
“I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” he said. “That’s my answer. That’s my answer. And for you to start off a question-and-answer period, especially when you’re 35 minutes late because you couldn’t get your equipment to work, in such a hostile manner, I think it’s a disgrace.”
The NABJ crowd gasped and laughed at many of Trump’s answers throughout the interview. He disputed his opponent Kamala Harris’ Blackness and suggested she “could be” a DEI hire, which has become a racist dog whistle in right-wing politics.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” Trump said of Harris. “And now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know. Is she Indian or is she Black? I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden, she made a turn. She became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.”
Trump baffled the crowd of Black journalists by telling them “a lot of the journalists in this room are Black.” He also attempted to explain what he meant when he said undocumented immigrants were taking “Black jobs.”
“Coming from the border are millions and millions of people who happen to be taking Black jobs,” he said. “A Black job is anybody that has a job. That’s what it is. Anybody that has a job. They’re taking the employment away from Black people.”
Trump’s attendance at the NABJ convention outraged many of the organization’s members. Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah stepped down as co-chair of the convention due to NABJ leadership’s decision to platform Trump.