CHICAGO — Within moments of Donald Trump taking his seat on stage, the former president began fighting and arguing with moderators Wednesday during a controversial appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists’ conference.
He pushed back against questions posed to him, claimed to be the best president for Black people since Abraham Lincoln, doubled down on his promise to pardon those convicted in connection to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and suggested his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, used her race to help her get elected.
“First of all I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, 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,” Trump told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott in response to the question “Why should Black voters trust you” given his past rhetoric about them.
“I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” he added, slamming the organization for starting the panel late because it couldn’t get its equipment to work.
Trump also wasted little time calling into question the racial background of the vice president, who is of Black and Indian ancestry.
“She was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she turned Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said, asked to respond to Republicans who have called Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI hire.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre almost immediately slammed the comments.
“As a person of color, as a Black woman who is in this position that is standing before you at this podium, behind this lectern, what he just said, what you just read out to me is repulsive, it’s insulting,” she told reporters during the White House daily briefing.
“She is the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, and we have to put some respect on her name. Period,” she added.
Trump then leaned into an issue he views as an advantage in the campaign, railing against Democrats for their handling of the crisis along the southern border, which he described as “an invasion of millions.” He doubled down on that idea, arguing that those crossing into the country illegally were taking over “Black jobs” — which he defined as “any job” where migrants are “taking employment away from Black people.” He then deployed a recent line of attack he and his allies have trained on the vice president, labeling her as the “Border Czar” who is solely responsible for the issue.
Asked if Sen. JD Vance would be “ready on day one” — following a tough week for the Republican vice presidential pick — Trump did not directly answer.
“I’ve always had great respect for him, and for the other candidates too. … Historically the Vice President in terms of the election does not have any impact,” Trump said.
Billed by NABJ as a fireside chat, the 1,100 attendees waited more than an hour before the event got underway at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue. Some listened intently with their phones held up to photograph the heated exchanges. Some snickered and groaned at Trump's comments about claiming not to know early on that Harris is Black. The audience grew ever-more-restless during an exchange with moderators about Democrats' views on abortion. And they chuckled at his dig at Biden’s age, turning around a question about his own age.
Trump’s appearance at the annual conference set off a controversy before he even took the stage.
On Tuesday, some Black journalists and others condemned the former president’s invitation to address journalists, decrying that organizers would offer Trump a platform. Others, however, defended the decision, saying it was an opportunity and duty for journalists to interview a presidential candidate regardless of how they felt about the GOP presidential nominee.
Eugene Daniels contributed to this report.
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