Former President Donald Trump speaks on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, July 18, 2024.
Gina Moon | Reuters
Donald Trump is scheduled to answer reporters’ questions on Wednesday. National Association of Black JournalistsTrump is holding his annual convention in Chicago as he retools his campaign to take on Vice President Kamala Harris, his rival for the presidency.
According to NABJ, Republican candidates are expected to focus on the biggest issues facing the black community during question-and-answer sessions in front of the convention’s live audience.
Trump will speak with Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott and Semaphore political reporter Kadia Goba. The hour-long event will be livestreamed by the group starting at 1 pm ET. Facebook and Youtube page.
According to NABJ, Trump will not be taking questions from the audience.
The event was held to honor the victorious Trump Only 12% When Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden, he saw his support among Black voters dwindle and he saw an opportunity to appeal directly to voters of color.
But winning over those voters may be tougher in the race against Harris, the first Black person, first woman and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
Several poll This suggests that Harris has stronger support among Black, Latino and younger voters than she did before she replaced Biden as the de facto Democratic nominee.
On Tuesday, a new Bloomberg/Morning Consult Survey A survey of key battleground states found that Harris had effectively overturned Trump’s lead in seven battleground states that could determine the Electoral College.
In a press release announcing Trump’s appearance at NABJ on Monday night, the Trump campaign argued that he has “done more for Black Americans than any president in recent history.”
The decision by NABJ, the nation’s largest association of journalists of color, to invite Trump drew immediate backlash from both inside and outside the organization.
Conference Co-Chairs Karen Attia He resigned on the eve of the event. Social Media Posts“Good luck to all the journalists interviewing Trump.”
“While my decision was influenced by many factors, I was in no way involved in, nor was I consulted about, the decision to present Mr. Trump in this manner,” Attiah, a columnist for The Washington Post, wrote.
NABJ President Ken LemonIn a statement Wednesday morning, he said he had discussed the decision to invite Trump to the event with NABJ’s founders and past leaders this week.
“The group confirmed that its invitation to former President Trump was consistent with NABJ’s normal practice since 1976,” Lemon said.
Harris will not attend the convention.
Biden had been scheduled to attend the event when he was a candidate, but a person familiar with Harris’ plans told NBC News on Tuesday that the vice president was unable to fit an appearance at the convention into his schedule this week.
Harris’ overlapping plans include: Attending a funeral The death of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and the ongoing process of selecting a vice presidential nominee.
A person who spoke to NBC said NABJ had rejected requests from Harris’ team to have her appear at a virtual fireside chat or to schedule an in-person event with the group at a later date.
But Lemon said in a statement Wednesday that Harris’ campaign had told the group that she would not be available to appear in person or virtually during the convention.
“We are discussing future virtual options and are still working to reach an agreement,” Lemon said.
After Lemon made his statement, April Ryan, White House correspondent for the Grio, said NABJ had “shut off the conversation for a virtual town hall meeting.”
“Only after reports of what happened were posted did NABJ leadership begin frantically urging @VP to consider a virtual town hall,” Ryan wrote to X, citing sources familiar with the situation.
“NABJ leadership has called for the replacement of acting vice presidents in the vein of Megan The Stallion, Oprah and Barack Obama,” NABJ’s Ryan wrote. 2017 Journalist of the Year.
An NABJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question from CNBC about Ryan and the NBC report.
This is an evolving story, please check back for updates.
