Donald Trump became extremely defensive and downright hostile while speaking to a group of Black journalists in Chicago on Wednesday (July 31).
He told the panel of Black women journalists that Vice President Kamala Harris had switched her race in order to get herself elected.
He also said he was the best president for Black people since Abraham Lincoln and refused to answer if his vice presidential nominee JD Vance would be ready on day one.
The interview with the panel lasted all of 34 minutes before it was cut short by Trump’s people.
As soon as he sat down, he got into an altercation with ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott who was moderating the event. She was accompanied by Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba.
When Trump was asked, “Why should Black voters trust you,” he responded negatively saying, “First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, a 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 said Scott’s question was nasty and put down the organisation for starting the panel late because it couldn’t get the equipment to work.
Trump also spoke about Harris’ ethnic background in an extremely disparaging manner.
“She was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she turned Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?,” said Trump when asked to respond on Republicans calling her a “DEI hire”.
The White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a White House daily briefing that the whole colour issue was just plain disrespectful.
Trump also went on another rant about black jobs which he defined as any job where migrants take employment away from Black people.
Trump’s former assistant press secretary Harrison Fields said the interview put Trump in a no-win situation. “This is consistent with who Trump is. Trump is going to go places that aren’t necessarily his comfort zone, but he understands the value of having these conversations.”
The event, which was held at the Hilton hotel on Michigan Avenue, was attended by 1,100 people. The audience laughed sarcastically at Trump when he said he did not know that Harris was black.