By Mona Austin
(TSN): Former Pres. Donald Trump imploded in a Q&A with a trio of Black Journalists at the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists conference. His conduct began to devolve into insults seconds into the 34-minute event as he chided moderator Rachel Scott for questioning why Black voters should trust him after a history of debasing them. In summary, he publicly insulted Black journalists, the organization and Black Americans in genera repeatedly. He said she was “not a good reporter” and stated wrongly that the poised and well-composed journalist was “totally out of control.”
Allegedly, the 45th U.S. President was hostile in part due to his objecting to live fact checks right before the event started which caused a delay.
The reporter and Republican presidential candidate engaged in a tense exchange when Scott asked if Trump didn't want Vice President Kamala Harris to run because she is a Black woman. "Is she Black?," he questioned before insinuating that she was passing. He said he always thought she was Indian and turned Black. This rhetoric is similar to questioning the citizenship of Pres. Barack Obama.
Previously, NABJ had criticized Trump for his attacks on the Black press. In 2018, Sarah Glover, the former NABJ president, stated, "The most powerful man in the free world is verbally abusing journalists." She also expressed her disapproval of his disrespectful remarks towards journalists April Ryan, Abby Phillip, and Yamiche Alcindor all Black White House reporters at the time. This year, the organization's leadership continued the custom of inviting presidential candidates from both major parties despite considerable opposition from its members. In both 2016 and 2020, Trump rejected invitations to attend the convention.
Attendees chiming in online said the atmosphere was tense and many were heard reacting negatively to Trump's jarring behavior. This may be why Trump’s team cut off what was supposed to be a 1 hour affair.
Vice President Kamal Harris had a schedule conflict and opted for a virtual Q&A in the future. The Harris camp mused that Trump's objectionable performance could be an in-kind donation to their campaign given to sway potential African American voters more toward the Democratic ticket. Several Black organizations condemned NABJ for inviting Trump to begin with for opening up a platform for him to disrespect Black people.
In response to the meltdown the Harris campaign said in an email, "If this is how Trump reacts to tough questions, it’s clear why he’s dodging a debate with Vice President Harris."
Aside from making a spectacle of the NABJ, Trump also put his on frailty on display.
During the Q&A session, he raised concerns about the audio quality, hinting at potential issues with his hearing. Surprisingly, the mainstream news outlets failed to inquire about the sound quality in relation to his hearing abilities. Just two weeks before the event, Trump's right ear had been grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt. Despite the quiet room and close seating arrangement between Trump and the panel of reporters, only Paris Faulkner from FOX News, seated farthest from Trump, acknowledged the difficulty in hearing. With everyone being equipped with microphones, questions arose about whether Trump's hearing was affected by the assassination attempt or age-related hearing loss. It is recommended that Mr. Trump undergo periodic hearing tests to monitor any potential decline in his hearing abilities.
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