Let him speak, then hold him accountable.
That was my reaction last week when the National Association of Black Journalists announced it had invited former President Donald Trump to its annual convention in Chicago.
It kicked off a firestorm. A plethora of voices, many that I respect, criticized the decision, arguing that the nation’s largest gathering of Black journalists should not give the 2024 Republican presidential nominee a platform to spew his divisive views and policies.
Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah announced she was relinquishing her role as co-chair for the NABJ convention. “While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format,” Attiah wrote on X.
I disagree. I am a proud member of NABJ. Since 1976, the nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization has had a long-standing policy of inviting presidential candidates to participate from both sides of the political aisle. The format is interview style, with top reporters posing questions to the nominees.
We are journalists. We are not advocates, nor apologists. It’s our job to take every opportunity we can to interview a would-be president, to ask the tough questions and to hold them accountable for their words and deeds.
So, I said, bring it on. They brought it. I was there Wednesday, in the audience of 2,000.
A trio of accomplished Black journalists interviewed Trump: ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba.
The “conversation,” as it was dubbed, got contentious right out of the box, with Scott’s opening question about what she called “the elephant in the room.”
“You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals, from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, saying that they were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have told four congresswomen of color, who were American citizens, to go back to where they came from. You have used words like ‘animal’ and ‘rabid’ to describe Black district attorneys. You have attacked Black journalists, calling them a ‘loser,’ saying the questions they ask are, quote, ‘stupid’ and ‘racist.’ You’ve had dinner with a white supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort.”
She concluded, “So my question, sir, now that you are asking Black supporters to vote for you, why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?”
“Well, first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question so, in such a horrible manner, a first question,” Trump responded. “You don’t even say, ‘Hello. How are you?’ Who are you? Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network. A terrible network.”
“Horrible?” No, sir. She is doing her job, asking the tough questions of a would-be president. “Fake news?” No, sir. Everything Scott said was true.
Trump never answered the question.
It spiraled down from there. Despite the reporters’ attempts to get Trump to respond to fair and legitimate questions, he doubled down on claims that murderers, rapists and the mentally ill are flooding across our borders and stealing “Black jobs,” whatever that is. “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” he claimed. Most notably, he accused Vice President Kamala Harris of turning “Black.”
Trump was asked whether it was “acceptable language” for his supporters to label Harris, the first Black and Asian American woman to serve as vice president, a “DEI hire.”
Trump replied that he “didn’t know” Harris was Black.
“I didn’t know she was Black because she was Indian 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?”
Harris, who identifies as both, attended Howard University, a historically Black college, where she pledged with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a Black sorority.
When he wasn’t dodging, he was lying, with large doses of racism and misogyny. The interview was scheduled for an hour; Trump ducked out after 37 minutes. He disrespected the interviewers and the NABJ audience. As usual, he defied his own best interests.
The event revealed and confirmed why Trump’s bigotry and misogyny are unacceptable, not just to Black people, not just to African American journalists, but also to every American who hopes for progress and equity.
Trump has aggressively courted the Black vote. He doesn’t deserve it. Last month, the Republican National Convention dispatched an array of prominent Black speakers to sing Trump’s praises and echo his claims that he is our salvation. Before President Joe Biden dropped out, that was working. Now that his opponent is Harris, Trump is slipping in the polls and running scared.
This is Trump’s third go-round at the presidency, but the first time he is running against a Black person.
Instead of spending those 37 minutes wooing Black voters, he appealed to members of the MAGA crowd, who relish denigrating those who are different from them. He demolished any support he could have gained.
His divisive name-calling and insults not only hurt him with Black voters, but will also repel the sliver of hesitant Republicans, moderates and independents who are hovering on the fence in this close election campaign.
The NABJ forum confirmed everything we know is wrong with the Trump campaign. We can never have enough reminders of Trump’s divisive and race-baiting ways.
Laura Washington is a political commentator and longtime Chicago journalist. Her columns appear in the Tribune each Monday. Write to her at LauraLauraWashington@gmail.com.
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