Source: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Getty
Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump made a controversial appearance before the National Association Of Black Journalists which quickly turned combative and hostile as the former president blasted one of the moderators for a “rude introduction.”
Moments after taking his seat to begin the Q&A, ABC News reporter Rachel Scott started by saying, “I want to start by addressing the elephant in the room, sir. A lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today.” Scott followed up with remarks and false claims that Trump had previously made about Barack Obama and Nikki Haley, along with other remarks attacking Black figures of people of color.
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Scott added, “You attack Black journalists calling them ‘a loser,’ saying the questions that they asked our quote, ‘stupid and racist.’ You’ve had dinner with a white supremacist at Mar a Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you were asking black supporters to vote for you, why should black voters trust you, after you have used language like that?”
Trump responded, “Well, first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked the question, in such a horrible manner, first question. You don’t even say hello, how are you?”
“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, including employment including opportunity zones with Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, which is one of the greatest programs ever for black workers and black entrepreneurs,” Trump followed up with.
Trump went on to claim that he was “the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” causing boos and disapproval from the crowd.
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Source: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Getty
In the hour-long Q&A, he touched on a number of key issues important to the Black community such as Sonya Massey, the Black woman who was fatally shot in the face by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy earlier this month, abortion access, and why he chose Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.
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However, the event was delayed for more than a half hour, apparently due to audio problems. Trump continued to complain throughout the event that he had difficulty hearing.
The former president also faced questions from another moderator, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, and Semafor’s Kadia Goba.
His appearance at the NABJ convention taking place in Chicago sparked widespread backlash, many of who expressed a number of concerns over his previous comments about the Black community and attacks against the media.
On Wednesday, NABJ announced that the organization was speaking with the Harris campaign to have her appear for a Q&A with the organization sometime in September.
Check out the full Q&A below:
Of course, his appearance caused much conversation online as well. Keep scrolling for reactions.
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