Former President Donald Trump questioned the racial identity of Vice President Kamala Harris and lambasted a moderator’s question about derogatory statements he has made toward the Black community in a combative interview Wednesday before a large crowd of Black journalists meeting in Chicago.
The question-and-answer session at the National Association of Black Journalists conference at the Hilton Chicago began more than an hour late — with Trump blaming audio issues — and ended early.
The shortened event was full of incendiary comments from the former president, including claims that illegal immigrants are taking “Black jobs.” When asked if it was appropriate to call Harris a “DEI hire,” which many Republicans are saying, Trump accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee 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?” Trump asked.
Rachel Scott, a congressional correspondent for ABC News and the event’s moderator, quickly replied, “She’s always been Black.”
Harris has long identified as being both South Asian and Black. She was born in Oakland, California, to an Indian mother and Jamaican father and is the first Black person and first Asian American vice president in U.S. history.
Trump added, “She was Indian all the way, and all of a sudden she made a turn, and she became a Black person.”
Asked about controversy, Trump took offense
The first question Scott asked featured a lengthy overview of derogatory comments and actions Trump has made toward the Black community: “You’ve used ‘animal ‘and ‘rabid’ 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.”
Trump said, “That wasn’t a question. She didn’t ask me a question. She gave a statement. That wasn’t a question.”
Responding to backlash about his remarks, Trump’s campaign said the former president “remains defiant in the face of media bias and will continue working to make life better for all Americans regardless of how poorly he’s treated by supporters of Kamala Harris.”
“Today’s biased and rude treatment from certain hostile members of the media will backfire massively,” Trump adviser Lynne Patton said.
The event started more than an hour late, with Trump and his campaign blaming audio issues. However, according to a source, the delay was also related to Trump’s refusal to allow his remarks to be fact-checked.
“President Trump patiently waited and waited for them to fix their audio problems,” the campaign posted on X. “But President Trump has a rally in Pennsylvania tonight — so because of THEIR audio problem, they lost time in the panel.”
Trump repeatedly complained about the audio during the event, at one point blaming Scott for the state of the equipment.
Harris did not respond directly to Trump’s comments about her race.
“Today, we were given yet another reminder,” she said at a campaign event in Houston. “This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, and it was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. Let me just say, the American people deserve better.”
Former President Donald Trump responds to Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, as he participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Attendees watch and listen as former President Donald Trump participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump walks in to participate in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, as he walks on stage to participate in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump responds to Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, as he participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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A supporter of former President Donald Trump chats with other attendees at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair as they wait for Trump to participate in a discussion with journalists at the convention at the Hilton Chicago, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Attendees watch and listen as former President Donald Trump participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump spars with Rachel Scott (cetner), senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor, as he participates in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Attendees type on their computers as they wait for former President Donald Trump to participate in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump raises his fist after participating in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Rachel Scott (center), senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, and Harris Faulkner, co-host of Outnumbered on FOX News, after participating in a conversation with journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair at the Hilton Chicago across from Grant Park, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Backlash from Black journalists
The NABJ’s Q&A with Trump, announced on Monday night, caused internal and external backlash among the group’s members. Some said Trump’s treatment of Black reporters during his presidential term was enough for them to boycott the event. Others were upset about the timing of the announcement — two days before the convention began, while many members were already en route to Chicago.
But Trump insisted, “I come in good spirits. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population.
“I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” Trump said, as someone in the crowd screamed, “b———-.”
Afterward, journalist Diara Townes, who traveled from Raleigh, North Carolina, called the contentious session “wild.”
“If you choose to see someone a certain way, that is your subjective choice, that is not an objective reality. So perhaps for Trump, he never viewed Kamala as a Black person. That doesn’t mean she isn’t,” Townes said.
Townes criticized NABJ for inviting Trump to what’s supposed to be a “safe space” for journalists, but also criticized the moderator’s performance. She said Scott’s decision to come “out the gate hot is not a way to approach this particular interviewee.
“I think there was a lot of pressure to not go easy, considering the other two journalists on the panel: one who has a history of being a little bit easier on Trump and then one who I don’t know as well. I don’t know how well she’s been battle tested,” Townes said. “And I think it negatively affected what could have been, maybe, a substantive conversation.”
The two other journalists on the panel were Harris Faulkner of Fox News and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor.
Brandon Pope, a host at WCIU and a NABJ member, said he was “disappointed” in the program overall.
“If I’m being frank, I’m disgusted at how blatant he is in his lies. Disgusted at cheers from people in the audience. And really taken aback by the conversation writ large,” Pope said. “I want to salute Rachel Scott … [who] did a great job in trying to give critical questions.”
No discussion about Project 2025
But Pope added there were “key things that weren’t discussed” in the conversation that was supposed to last an hour. “Project 2025 is a major thing for the Black community and has major implications for the Black community,” Pope said. “The fact that we didn’t even get to that, I think, is a problem.”
The director of Project 2025, viewed as a far-right blueprint for a second Trump presidency, on Tuesday stepped down from the project, citing criticism from Trump and others.
Organizers of the convention were forced to reschedule or cancel events due to Trump’s appearance, citing security concerns. That included part of a career fair, according to one organizer.
Harris won’t attend the convention due to logistics, including selecting her running mate, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
Trump used Harris’ absence to criticize the NABJ, telling Scott he had been told his Democratic opponent — whomever it was — would also appear.
“It turned out my opponent isn’t here,” he told Scott. “You invited me under false pretense.”
NABJ President Ken Lemon on Wednesday said the organization was continuing to negotiate with Harris, including about a question-and-answer event either virtually or in person, in September. Lemon said negotiations with both parties began in January.
Before dropping out of the race, President Joe Biden confirmed his attendance at the conference.
Demonstrators protest Trump’s NABJ appearance
The NABJ event marked Trump’s third visit to Chicago since 2016, when he canceled a Chicago rally after scuffles broke out in the UIC Pavilion. In 2019, Trump came to Chicago for his first presidential visit and disparaged the city, calling it “embarrassing to us as a nation” at a police conference. Later, he was met by thousands of protesters outside Trump Tower during a fundraiser he hosted.
Outside Wednesday’s event, a small crowd gathered to protest Trump’s appearance. But police seemed to outnumber the protesters about 11:30 a.m. as protesters began chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear, racists are not welcome here.”
A brass band played along with the chanting across the street.
Hatem Abudayyeh, head of the Chicago-based U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which organized some of the protesters, said they were protesting both Democrats and Republicans for “complicity” in the violence endured by Palestinians in Gaza.
A protester holds a sign outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump participated in a Q&A session at the National Association of Black Journalists, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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A protestor maneuvers his bike as he holds a protest sign outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Protesters gather outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Protesters gather outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Protesters gather outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Protesters gather outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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A protester waves a Palestinian flag as dozens gather outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Protesters gather outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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A protester leads a chant outside of the Hilton Hotel where former President Donald Trump is speaking with the NABJ in the Loop, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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“Trump doesn’t get a pass, of course, especially because of his racism and his fascism and his reactionary policies and the policies of the Republican Party,” Abudayyeh said.
His group also plans to march in August during the Democratic National Convention, along with the Coalition to March on the DNC and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which also came Wednesday to protest Trump’s appearance.
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