The conversation fizzles out within the first few minutes.
Speaking to three black women journalists Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention, former President Donald Trump was expected to make an appeal to black voters, contrasting his absence at the event with Vice President Kamala Harris, and, of course, facing some tough questions. .
Instead of using the interview to present a positive story for audiences covered and informed by black journalists, he immediately veered into the vindictive, petty and confrontational persona that first shocked many Americans during the 2016 campaign, dominating everyday life. During Trump’s presidency, and one that many Americans have since forgotten.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question so fiercely. … I think this is a very rude introduction. I don’t know why you would do something like that,” Trump told ABC News’ Rachel Scott when asked about Trump’s history of making offensive statements about black politicians and journalists. “I think this is a very silly question. … I am the best president for the black community since Abraham Lincoln.
The rest of the Q&A went on, with Trump interviewing reporters, complaining about the sound system and equipment, doubling down on pardoning the January 6 rioters and, most poignantly, questioning Harris’ racial and ethnic background.
“He’s always been of Indian heritage and he’s only promoted Indian heritage,” Trump said of Harris, responding to a question about Republicans calling Harris a “DEI hire.” “I didn’t know he was black until a few years ago, when he became black, and now he wants to be known as black. So I don’t know, is he Indian or black?
Since leaving office as the most unpopular president (until Biden) and at a low level of favorability, Trump has managed to repair his reputation with a significant portion of the American electorate. his Net negative favorability rating By January 2021, nearly half have been; He has become more popular with young voters, voters of color, and low-income voters since the end of his presidency.
He has been able to do this because he has more clearly mobilized support among the Republican base violent And negative speech since his first campaign in 2016. An NBC News analysis of Trump’s public statements since leaving office, for example, found the former president’s speech a “Dark and aggressiveThat grew in the fall of 2023, when other academic work found its useViolent vocabulary” has been increasing in recent years.
So how does Trump simultaneously fire up his base while appealing to voters beyond that?
I’ve run into a few theories before as to how Trump pulled this off, but the attendance at Wednesday’s NABJ conference makes one stand out: The less people see Trump, the more they like him. And over the past few years, people have only seen less of Trump.
Attention to political news has declined, people have withdrawn from national politics, and Biden has become the target of public anger and discontent with various international, economic and political crises. Faced with Biden, he could run a quiet campaign, get muted attention and speak to his base while the rest of the public was protected.
(It also helped that many new voters also entered the electorate I didn’t remember He said many offensive things during his ascension to the White House. In polling conducted by the Democratic firm Blueprint, most voters under 30 have never heard him talk about a “total and complete shutdown of entry into the United States” or “a very good guy on both sides” of 2017 Charlottesville. Unite the Right” white supremacist rally.)
But Trump can’t stop himself from just being Trump and reminding voters of who and what he is when given a chance. On Wednesday, that meant putting forward an array of false, racist attacks.
After lying about Harris’ blackness, Trump repeated a lie about Democrats supporting “partial-birth” abortions, saying that “they’re bigots on abortion … they’re allowing a baby to die after it’s born.” Scott and Semaphore reporter Kadia Goba push back, pointing out that it’s illegal.
Since the event, Trump, his campaign and conservative allies have not only mined but trumpeted the event. Trump repeated his attack on Harris On social truth, said, “Crazy Kamala says she is Indian, not black. It’s a big deal. Stone cold phone. He uses everyone, including his ethnic identity!” There was a clip with a headline describing Harris as California’s first Indian-American senator projected At his rally in Pennsylvania.
NABJ’s decision to invite Trump was controversial among the organization’s membership and caused a public rift among its leadership and membership. Some have argued that the journalistic advantages of scrutinizing a former president’s record outweigh the downsides. Others objected to handing the mic over to someone with a long history of anti-black and misogynistic rhetoric.
There are strong arguments for and against Trump’s interview, but no matter where you land, it was clear Wednesday that giving Trump a platform is not the same as giving him an advantage.
“People should watch this! A painful, cruel, hearing-obsessed, race-baiting, ass who really has to answer for his track record in environments outside his comfort zone,” “Never-Trump” Republican strategist Tim Miller on After Trump Interview posted
Resetting the race with Harris and Biden out is even more significant now. With Trump out of the White House and on Twitter (now known as X), Americans could be forgiven for not remembering how much they dislike Trump and how much he remains the same guy who ran for office in 2016 and 2020.
The campaign is in full swing and the spotlight is back on Trump, and this much is clear: Give Trump a chance to show the people who he is, and he will gladly do it.
