Former President Donald Trump sat for an interview on July 31 with a panel of journalists that quickly became contentious. The event was conducted in front of a live audience in Chicago by the National Association of Black Journalists. Some journalists criticized the decision to invite Trump to the event. Columnist Karen Attiah resigned as co-chair of the convention the day prior to Trump’s visit, posting on social media, “To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck.”
The first question set the mood for the entire conversation, with the journalist accusing Trump of insulting black congresswomen and using demeaning terms to describe some black journalists. Trump called the opening salvo a “rude introduction.”
From there, the panelists proceeded with prepared questions on policy points and other topics including DEI, inflation, immunity from prosecution for police officers, and voting rights. Trump often used his answers to pivot to other topics but did answer some directly, including several queries about the selection of Sen. JD Vance for running mate.
