During a live interview panel at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists, Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump said he didn't know Vice President Kamala Harris was Black and questioned her race.
“She was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black," Trump said, after being asked if he agreed with other Republicans' comments that Harris is a "DEI hire."
“Is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump continued, “I respect either one but she obviously doesn’t because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person.”
Harris, born of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, has repeatedly talked about her experience growing up in a multicultural household. She attended Howard University in Washington, a historically Black university, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically Black sorority.
RELATED STORY | Harris to campaign in battleground states with unnamed running mate next week
The interview panel, which started over an hour behind schedule, kicked off in a heated exchange between Trump and one of its moderators, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News Rachel Scott.
Scott read a list of Trump's past statements before asking the first question of the event: "Mr. President, we so appreciate you giving us an hour of your time. I want to start by addressing the elephant in the room, sir. A lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today. You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals, from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, saying that they were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have told four congresswomen of color who are American citizens to go back to where they came from. You have used words like 'animal' and 'rabbit' to describe Black district attorneys. You attacked Black journalists, calling them a loser, saying the questions that they asked are, quote, 'stupid and racist.' You've had dinner with a White supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you're asking Black supporters to vote for you, why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?"
Trump responded, "Well first of all I don't think I've been asked a question in such a horrible manner. 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 continued to say Scott had a "hostile, nasty tone" and that the event was disgraceful for starting late. Trump claimed the reason it began late was because NABJ "couldn't get their equipment to work or something."
NABJ has not addressed what delayed the start of the event.
"I love the Black population of this country. I've done so much for the Black population of this country," Trump also said, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln."
The Q&A event, which was not open to the public, took place before an audience of attendees at NABJ's annual convention and career fair in Chicago.
Harris Faulkner, anchor of "The Faulkner Focus" and co-host of "Outnumbered" on FOX News, and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor, were the other two interviewers during the event.
RELATED STORY | Trump visits a Black church during swing through Michigan
Trump doubles down on 'Black jobs' debate comment
The energy shifted a little as Trump was asked questions by Faulkner, whom he praised for "a great interview" that she had done with the former president in the past.
Trump said his message to the attendees of the NABJ convention was that immigrants are taking "Black jobs," something he infamously first said during his debate against President Joe Biden back in June.
One of the panelists on Wednesday asked Trump, "What exactly is a Black job, sir?"
"A Black job is anybody that has a job," Trump said. "[Immigrants] are taking the employment away from Black people."
Trump says killing of Sonya Massey 'didn't look good'
Trump has previously said law enforcement officers should have immunity from prosecution. With that in mind, Goba asked if he believed the sheriff's deputy in Illinois who has been charged with murder after fatally shooting Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old unarmed Black woman, inside her home after she called 911 for help should get immunity.
The former president said he was not entirely familiar with the case but from what he had seen, "It didn't look good to me," he said. "I didn't like it."
Trump said his past comments on immunity for police were in reference to cases different than the one he was asked about, but he stopped short of saying the deputy charged in Massey's death deserved immunity.
"There's a big difference between being a bad person and making an innocent mistake. But if somebody made an innocent mistake I would want to help that person," said Trump, adding that sometimes officers have to make a decision in a matter of seconds and sometimes it's the wrong one.
Trump defends choice of JD Vance as running mate
Past comments from Sen. JD Vance, who was recently chosen as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, have resurfaced — including one in which he said Democrats running the country are "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable."
Scott asked Trump, "Did you know that he had these views about people who do not have children before you picked him to be your running mate, and do you agree with him?"
"He is very family-oriented," said Trump. "He strongly believes in family. But I know people with great families. I know people with not-great families, that don't have a family, and the people without the family are far better. They're superior in many cases, OK. He's not saying they're not. What he's saying is that he thinks the family experience is a very important thing, it's a very good thing."
"But my interpretation is that he is strongly family-oriented, but that doesn't mean if you don't have a family there's something wrong with it," Trump added.
Trump was then asked why he chose Vance.
"I chose him because he's a very strong believer in work and the working man and woman and especially the working man and woman who have been treated very unfairly because you have many of them, many of them in this room," said Trump. He also said Vance is a "very smart guy."
Trump still wants to pardon insurrectionists
Trump was asked about his previous comments that he would pardon all of the people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
He claimed the protests that happened last week during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress over his country's war in Gaza against Hamas were more violent than the insurrection.
RELATED STORY | Authorities seek help in identifying Netanyahu protesters in DC last week
"My question is on those rioters who assaulted officers, would you pardon those people?" Scott asked.
"If they're innocent, I would pardon them," said Trump.
Trump's presence was controversial before he even arrived
Trump’s invitation to NABJ's convention caused some controversy within the journalist group, leading to the event’s co-chair, Karen Attiah, to step down from her position the day before the convention began.
At the event, Trump claimed he was invited under false pretenses and had been told his opponent, whether it be President Joe Biden or Harris, would be attending. He also claimed organizers told him he couldn't join via Zoom.
NABJ President Ken Lemon issued a statement that said the association had been in talks with both the Democratic and Republican parties since January, and an invitation to the annual event is not an endorsement.
“I consulted with a group of our Founders and past NABJ Presidents Tuesday on-site in Chicago, and as a group, we affirmed that the invitation to Former President Trump was in line with NABJ’s usual practices since 1976,” said Lemon. “While we acknowledge the concerns expressed by our members, we believe it is important for us to provide our members with the opportunity to hear directly from candidates and hold them accountable.”
Lemon said NABJ was in contact with Vice President Kamala Harris’ team for an in-person panel before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July, but her schedule could not accommodate the request. However, they are working to schedule a panel, in-person or virtual, with Harris sometime in September. This year’s convention and career fair ends on Aug. 4.
Harris' campaign released a statement Wednesday ahead of Trump's appearance at NABJ, which said, in part, "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."
Harris has attended the convention in the past, according to the NABJ website. NABJ noted that President Biden and former Presidents George W. Bush Jr., Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have also attended past conventions either as presidents or candidates.
NABJ partnered with PolitiFact to live fact-check Trump’s responses to questions during the event.
Harris campaign hits back
Shortly after the event ended, Vice President Harris' campaign issued a statement in response, calling it a "tirade."
“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," said Harris for President Communications Director Michael Tyler. “Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us."
