Speaking to a room of Black journalists in Chicago, former President Donald Trump said his opponent in the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris, "turned Black" a number of years ago.
When answering a question about Republicans labeling Harris a "DEI hire," Trump asked for the reporter's definition of DEI and appeared to question Harris' heritage.
"So I've known her a long time - indirectly, not directly very much - and she was always of Indian heritage. And 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," Trump said. "And now she wants to be known as Black. So I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?"
He went on to say the change happened "all of a sudden," when she "made a turn and she became a Black."
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott, one of the event's three moderators, said that Harris had always identified as Black. Harris also attended Howard University, a historically Black college.
The Harris campaign called Trump's comments "hostile."
"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," Harris' campaign's communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. "Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign."
Harris campaign statement on Donald Trump’s remarks at the NABJ pic.twitter.com/atHw27Crfu
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 31, 2024
Similarly, at an event in Houston on Wednesday, Harris said Trump's comments at the NABJ convention were disrespectful.
"It was the same old show ..the divisiveness and the disrespect," Harris said according to NBC News. "And let me just say the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better."
As for whether he thinks Harris is a "DEI hire," Trump said he didn't know.
"Could be," he said.
Trump's appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists was contentious and heated from the start.
"A lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today," Scott asked Trump during the conversation held at the NABJ conference. "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, women of color, who were American citizens, to 'go back to where they came from.'
"You have used words like 'animal' and 'rabid' to describe Black district attorneys. You've attacked Black journalists, calling them a 'loser,' saying the questions that they ask are, quote, 'stupid and racist.' You've had dinner with a white supremacist at Mar a Lago resort," she continued.
"So my question, sir, now that you are asking Black supporters to vote for you, why should Black voters trust you? After you have used language like that?" Scott asked.
Trump began by saying the question was asked "in such a horrible manner."
"Don't even say 'Hello, how are you?' Are you with ABC because I think they're a fake news network. Terrible. I think it's disgraceful that I came here in good spirit."
Questions for Trump ranged from his thoughts on comments made by his vice presidential nominee JD Vance to the police shooting of Sonya Massey in Illinois to the Republican party's thoughts on abortion and more.
The conversation was heated at times before ending abruptly as reporters on the stage said Trump's team said they needed to end.
The program got off to a delayed start due to what NABJ sources said was a dispute over a live fact check of the address. But Trump noted the delay onstage and said the issue was from an equipment failure, with mic issues present during the Q&A.
The event, open to convention attendees only, had been described by organizers as a "Q&A with political journalists before an audience of registered convention attendees that will concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community." It was fact-checked live by PolitiFact.
“Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us," Harris' campaign's communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. "Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign."
No questions from the audience were taken.
“We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most,” NABJ President Ken Lemon said in an initial statement about the event. “While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know.”
Wednesday, Lemon released a new statement defending the organization's controversial decision to invite Trump to speak, saying it was "in line" with convention practices dating back to 1976.
"It has always been our policy to ensure that candidates know that an invitation is not an endorsement," Lemon's statement said. 'We also agreed that while this race is much different — and contentious — so are the consequences."
Lemon added that Harris, the presumptive Democratic Nominee for President, had also been invited to speak.
Trump's appearance at the NABJ has sparked mixed reactions from within the organization, as convention co-chair, Washington Post reporter Karen Attiah announced she would step down from her role, saying she wasn't consulted about the decision to invite Trump to speak.
"To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck," Attiah wrote in a social media post announcing her decision to resign her position. "For everyone else, I'm looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with all of you in the Windy City."
Attiah went on to say her decision was influenced by a "variety of factors," and that she was "not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format."
Attiah's announcement Tuesday came several hours before a source familiar with Vice President Kamala Harris' plans said that Harris would not attend the NABJ convention because of conflicts with her schedule, a report from CNBC said. According to a post from the NABJ, Harris has offered to address the NABJ virtually, post-convention.
The appearance from Donald Trump comes weeks away from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, scheduled for Aug. 19-22.
