Trump to Speak Before NABJ Convention in Chicago

[Webster]

(The Guardian) Trump to be interviewed at NABJ convention
Journalists at the annual conference of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) began trickling in to the Hilton hotel in downtown Chicago this morning for a 12pm CT/1pm ET panel – featuring Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

He will be quizzed by the prominent political reporters Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News.

Press credentials for the much-discussed event have been tight, with several Secret Service agents monitoring the ballroom where the conversation with Trump will take place.

Others Secret Service agents have been spotted walking throughout the hotel.

Trump’s latest appearance comes only weeks after a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate the former president at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. In the immediate aftermath, the Secret Service chief, Kimberly Cheatle, stepped down after calls from both parties to quit.

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Donald Trump’s invitation to address the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention today has sparked an intense debate.

Journalism organizations for people of color traditionally invite presidential candidates to address their summer gatherings during election years, the Associated Press writes.

But Trump’s acceptance of the NABJ’s invitation has led at least one high-profile group member, Karen Attiah, to step down as a convention co-chair and others to argue their convention may become a platform for Trump to make false claims or be seen as winning the NABJ’s endorsement.


She wished the journalists who are going to interview Trump luck, and added, on X that: “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.”

 

[Webster]

(The Guardian) Trump hits out at Black journalists and repeatedly lies in heated interview before Q&A is cut short
The interview with Donald Trump at the NABJ conference is now over, with Trump giving a few fist pumps and shaking hands with the interviewers before walking off stage.

The interview, which lasted around 40 minutes, got off to a rocky start, with Trump accusing interviewers of asking “rude” questions and calling their networks “fake news” before blaming the conference’s speakers for his lateness.

In addition to multiple tangents on how he is allegedly persecuted by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and a supposedly “weaponized” justice system, Trump refused to condemn the January 6 insurrectionists, continued to espouse the lie that Democrats are “executing” babies after birth, and vowed to close the borders on his first day in office if he becomes president.

Throughout the interview, Trump’s responses drew multiple gasps and shouts from the crowd.

He also defended JD Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies” said he “didn’t know [Harris] was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black,” and described a “Black job” as “anybody that has a job”.

The interview was cut short after Trump’s team apparently asked interviewers to end the Q&A. ABC’s Rachel Scott told the audience: “I think we have to leave it there, by the Trump team. That is the last word.” Trump reacted with a bemused expression before getting off the stage.