Donald Trump stopped by the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention in Chicago on Thursday for a lively on-stage interview that saw him label ABC “fake news” and get into arguments with moderators over Kamala Harris, JD Vance, and abortion.
ABC’s Rachel Scott did most of the questioning, and she led off by recalling, “You have told four congresswoman of color who, are American citizens, to go back to where they came from. You have used words like 'animal' and 'rabbid' to describe black attorneys. You attack black journalists, calling them 'a loser' saying the questions that they asked are, quote, “stupid and racist.” You've had dinner with a white supremacist at your 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 replied, “Well, of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question so—in such a horrible manner. 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." He would go on to hype his record on things such as opportunity zones and education.
Scott: "is that acceptable language (DEI Hire) to you and will you tell those Republicans and those supporters to stop it?
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 31, 2024
Trump: How do you define DEI? Go ahead. How do you define it?
Scott: Diversity, equity, and inclusion. pic.twitter.com/GlZlxgvoa4
It is also true that Trump calls just about everybody “stupid” or "loser.”
Later, Scott tried to get Trump to denounce other Republicans as racist, “Some of your own supporters, including Republicans on Capitol Hill, have labeled Vice President Kamala Harris, who was the first black and Asian American woman to serve as vice president, be on a major party ticket as a DEI hire. Is that acceptable to you? And will you tell those Republicans and those supporters to stop it?”
Trump turned the tables on Scott, “How do you define DEI?” Scott could only get tautological, “Diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
That’s like trying to determine whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich by claiming the definition of a sandwich is a sandwich. Scott, however, was just getting started. She also wondered about Vance’s childless cat lady comments, “Did you know that he had these views about people who do not have children before you picked to be your running mate and do you agree with him?”
Trump, naturally, defended Vance, “He is very family oriented and he thinks families are a great thing. That doesn't mean he thinks that if you don't have a family, it’s not—I know people with families. I know people with great families. I know people with very troubled families, and I also know people with no families. They didn't meet the right person. Things happen. You go through life. You don't meet the right person—”
Later still, Semafor’s Kadia Goba turned to abortion, “Do you think the party, the Republican Party's getting a little bit too judgy about people's lives when you think about abortion or when you think about what J.D. Vance is saying?”
Semafour's Kadia Goba: Do you think the party, the Republican party's getting a little bit too judgy about people's lives when you think about abortion...?
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 31, 2024
Trump: I don't think, look, I think that the Democrat Party is really the one that has the problem. pic.twitter.com/3Ym0pPFOnB
Trump, again, turned the tables, “I think that the Democrat Party is really the one that has the problem. I think they're radical on abortion, because they are allowing abortion in the ninth month—”
Goba interrupted, “But, I think it’s about freedom, right?”
More crosstalk followed with Trump accusing Democrats of believing that abortion should be legal in the eighth and ninth months, as well as after birth, citing former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as evidence with Scott and Goba claiming that wasn’t true. Putting the “after birth” part aside, Goba tried to defend Democrats on late-term abortions, “Well, Democrats have denied—”
In reality, several states allow late-term abortions, but Scott and Goba did not set out to interview Trump so much as they tried to get applause from their colleagues, and on the front, they succeeded.
This. https://t.co/Phfsyl8lpa
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) July 31, 2024