The Interview of Donald J. Trump By The NABJ (Part 2)
As a journalist, I was interested in hearing the interview of the former president conducted by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). It was held in Chicago, Illinois at its annual conference on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The Journalists featured asked tough and legitimate questions The former president refused to answer them directly and made disrespectful comments to the journalists, especially toward Rachel Scott, ABC News reporter. I am certainly not surprised. He focused on attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, who is currently running for president of the United States. She has offered to debate him and so far, he has refused, making a condition to have the debate on Fox News. In the last article I gave an outline of some of the questions asked in the interview.
Trump is obsessed with color and said that Kamala Harris just turned Black since she was running for president. We have all heard this before. He claimed that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. Black people have endured these comments for years. His characterization of Kamala as not being intelligent, unqualified, and suggested that she should take a cognitive test. It was a heated discussion throughout the interview. Black people must remember how we have been treated in this country since the days of enslavement. Those who support Donald Trump need a refresher course in Black History.
Former President Donald Trump speaks with Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, during a question and answer session at the National Association of Black Journalists convention on July 31, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
On the topic of immigration, Trump said what he always says – the illegal immigrants are criminals, and they want to take Black jobs. What is his definition of Black jobs? He did not really answer. To the question of why should Blacks trust you – he gave no definite answer. On the issue of JD Vance and his comments on people who do not have children should not be able to vote, Trump immediately defended him, citing his military career and love of family. He went on to say that the choice of a vice president really does make a difference throwing Vance under the bus. Again, taking a stab at Kamala Harris saying that she was a horrible vice-president. His answer to the January 6th insurrection was that these people were patriots and that he would probably pardon some of them.
The interview included a lot of meandering and confusing answers from Donald Trump. He was combative during the entire interview. This Columnist would like to commend the Black Journalists for their professionalism despite the attacks. This past week, Vice President Kamala Harris selected her running mate. He is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former teacher and football coach. From interviews so far, he has been described by former students as an inspiring educator. They are off to a good start with rallies planned in many of the swing states. The Democratic Convention will be held in a few weeks. I would like to encourage my readers to keep up with these developing events!!
In part three of this series, I will discuss the issues of race and sexism. I will also suggest a very important film and book that will answer some of these questions.