(The Hill) — Former President Donald Trump engaged in a heated Q&A session at the National Association of Black Journalists’ conference in Chicago on Wednesday.
The fireside chat — moderated by ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner and Semafor’s Kadia Goba — began more than an hour after it was scheduled to start.
Trump goes back and forth with Rachel Scott
The crowd jeered as Trump objected to Scott’s first question, which he called rude, where she called out lies from his campaign and pointed to his record with Black voters.
Trump also claimed he was invited under false pretenses because he said he was told Vice President Kamala Harris would be there and that the event couldn’t be done over Zoom. He also blamed the conference for the late start, claiming the equipment was not working.
He attacked the introduction again after the conference.
“The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!” he said on Truth Social.
The former president attacked Harris, claiming she switched from identifying as Indian to identifying as Black while evading Scott’s question about whether he believed Harris was a “DEI hire,” a charge that has been leveled at the vice president by conservatives.
Trump on ‘Black jobs’
Trump hit one of the talking points that he used during the presidential debate, talking about immigration and claiming immigrants were taking “Black jobs” without offering a clear definition of what he considered such jobs to be.
He continued to state, without evidence, that other countries were sending prisoners and people from mental institutions to the U.S. and blaming migrants for crime rates.
Inflation and its impact on Black single mothers
In response to a question about inflation and its impact on Black single mothers in particular, Trump claimed he could not hear the moderator though those in attendance could hear her without issue. He railed against inflation and said he would bring down the cost of energy, which he said was driving inflation.
He did not offer any other policy solutions that he would use to combat inflation.
Trump says he is unfamiliar with Sonya Massey case
Trump said he was unfamiliar with the case of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was shot after police officers responded to her home. The officer involved is facing murder charges, and moderators pressed Trump on his claims that he would make sure police have qualified immunity.
Trump continued to defend immunity for police, talking about the difficulties of the job and saying officers should not be prosecuted for innocent mistakes. When pressed on how that argument fits with his claims that he has been unfairly investigated, Trump continued to call charges against him political prosecution.
He continued to return to attacking the conference, especially the delayed start, when moderators pushed him to actually answer the questions asked.
Trump defends JD Vance
Trump also claimed that his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, was not suggesting being childless or single was bad when asked about Vance’s statement that the country was being run by “childless cat ladies” who are miserable with their lives. Trump argued that Vance was holding up family values as important but not dismissing those who don’t have a partner or children.
He said he chose Vance because he would stand up for working-class people who have been left behind. Trump seemed to undercut his own choice, saying that a vice president would not impact voters.
Trump champions fall of Roe v. Wade
When asked if the Republican Party was becoming too judgemental of people’s lives, especially those who are childless or divorced, he pivoted to abortion. The former president talked over moderators who corrected his incorrect statements that states were allowing abortions after birth, which is not legal anywhere in the country.
Trump also championed the fall of Roe v. Wade, saying it returned power to the states, brushing off data that shows a majority of Americans oppose bans on abortion.
Trump on age, mental fitness
Trump dismissed concerns that he would be older than President Joe Biden is now during his administration, saying he would consider stepping down if he were not mentally capable of doing the job. He expressed his willingness to take a cognitive test, saying it should be done for all presidential candidates regardless of age.
He said Harris should take a test as well, citing the fact that she failed the bar exam on her first attempt. Harris later passed the exam and was able to practice law.
Jan. 6 rioters
Trump and moderators had a back-and-forth exchange regarding those who took place in the Jan. 6 riots, saying he would pardon them. He brushed off the fact that participants had been convicted, accusing courts of being biased and continuing to try to turn the focus away to other protests across the country.
The president repeatedly returned to his campaign talking points of energy and the border before the session wrapped thirty minutes earlier than planned.
Trump faced hostile audience
“We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most,” NABJ President Ken Lemon said earlier in a statement.
“While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know,” Lemon added.
The event was livestreamed to the public, but only convention attendees were allowed to attend.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, was also invited to attend this year’s convention, the NABJ said. The group announced at the start of the conversation that Harris would be taking part in a session in September.
On Truth Social, Trump slammed Harris for not attending.
“Crazy Kamala disrespectfully refused to attend the National Association of Black Journalists Conference, but I am on my way to meet with them now in Chicago. Because of which, she’ll probably end up doing, she has no choice, but remember—it is only for that reason!” he said.
In a statement, the Harris campaign said voters should remember who Trump is.
“We know Donald Trump is going to lie about his record and the real harm he’s caused Black communities at NABJ — and he must be called out. He will lie about the skyrocketing Black unemployment and Black uninsured rates our communities suffered from when he was president,” said media director Jasmine Harris.
“He’ll lie about his failed response to the pandemic that cost Black Americans our lives and our livelihoods. He’ll lie about skyrocketing crime under his leadership and make grand claims about putting checks in people’s pockets when we know his Project 2025 agenda would cost our families thousands.”
Following the debate, Communications Director Michael Tyler issued a statement lambasting Trump for his personal attacks on the moderators and saying he failed Black Americans.
“The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people,” he said.
