Update 2:40 PM Pacific: Trump is reacting to the media onslaught by doubling down on his racist insult: Trump Insists Kamala Harris Is Not Black. I’m not going to post his Truth Social post, but here is what he said:
Crazy Kamala is saying she’s Indian, not Black. This is a big deal. Stone cold phony. She uses everybody, including her racial identity!
So the story not only has legs, those legs are crawling all over his skin. Keep biting!
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There’s a front page story up about how Trump put, not his foot but his whole leg into his mouth by saying he “didn’t know Harris was Black” until recently, putting his racism on full display to a room full of Black journalists. (Thus giving an object lesson in how not to win friends and influence people.) A number of the comments to that diary insisted that the media will (once again) bury the story, so I just want to point how, less than ONE HOUR after he said those insulting and, yes, weird, things, the media is/are running with it.
Start with WaPo, top story, front left, the prime webpage real estate:
Trump says Harris ‘became a Black person’ as NABJ event turns hostile, chaotic
Donald Trump on Wednesday berated a Black reporter who pressed him about past offensive comments and accused his opponent, Vice President Harris, of downplaying Black heritage she routinely highlights as a sit-down meant to showcase Trump’s outreach to voters of color immediately turned hostile. . . .
“Why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?” Scott said.
“Well first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said, calling the interview “disgraceful” and criticizing a “rude introduction.” He alleged he was invited under a “false pretense” because he had expected his opponent to be there as well and criticized the organizers for starting late.
The NYT was a bit more nuanced, but still took pokes at Trump. Election Live Updates: Trump Questions Harris’s Black Identity in Combative Interview
Mr. Trump was questioned immediately on his rhetoric about race and complained that he was getting a “very rude introduction.” He was pressed about his fellow Republicans describing Ms. Harris as a “D.E.I. hire” and he peddled several falsehoods about his policy record relating to Black communities. . . .
Mr. Trump’s appearance in Chicago began more than an hour late and immediately turned confrontational. He complained about the audio equipment and mispronounced Ms. Harris’s first name, prompting a correction from the crowd. The audience gasped and scoffed at times as he repeated falsehoods about his record and court cases. . . . [emphases added]
About that so-called audio delay, the Times adds that:
About 45 minutes before Trump took the stage, the former president pushed back on NABJ staffers who wanted to live fact check the event, according to a person familiar with the planning. The board pushed back against the last minute demand. When Trump took the stage, he said the delay was due to NABJ’s audio issues.
Politico: Hostile Trump takes the stage at Black journalists’ conference
Yahoo News: Donald Trump, At NABJ Convention, Claims Kamala Harris “Made A Turn And Became Black,” Politifact Quickly Deems Comment False; White House Slams – Update
CBS News: Trump falsely attacks Kamala Harris over race, saying she "happened to turn Black"
CNN: Donald Trump falsely suggests Kamala Harris ‘happened to turn Black’
NBC News: Trump accuses Harris of deciding to 'turn Black' during a combative panel with Black journalists
USA Today: Gasps and groans: Trump at NABJ says Harris 'became' Black, and he's not familiar with Sonya Massey
APNews: Donald Trump falsely questions Kamala Harris’ race as he appears at gathering of Black journalists
Chicago Sun-Times: Trump insults moderator, questions if Harris is Black in contentious Q&A with Black journalists in Chicago
ABC News: Donald Trump falsely questions Kamala Harris' race as he appears at gathering of Black journalists
Austin-American Statesman: Trump questions Kamala Harris' racial identity at NABJ, says she 'happened to turn Black'
LA Times: Trump, in contentious interview with Black journalists, questions Kamala Harris’ Black identity
New York magazine: Trump Questions Harris’s Blackness in Train-Wreck Interview
New York Times (new front page second-to-top story): Trump Questions Harris’s Racial Identity, Saying She Only ‘Became Black’ Recently
But it was not clear he succeeded [in winning over Blacks]. Instead, he attacked his interlocutors, three Black women, particularly Ms. Scott, whom he repeatedly called “nasty.” He disparaged the vice president in clearly racial terms. Not only did he suggest she only recently “became Black” (when in fact, she went to Howard University, a historically Black university, and is a member of a Black women’s sorority), he declined to say whether the vice president had achieved her position based on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
All this is within the past few hours. And the evening news cycle hasn’t started yet. This story has legs, so instead of cutting off the media’s legs, let’s encourage them to do it some more.
A few more:
Daily Beast: Donald Trump Claims Kamala Harris ‘Happened to Turn Black’ in Stunning Slur
Newsweek: Donald Trump's Black Journalist Event Implodes as Kamala Harris Wins Voters
Mother Jones: White Man Tells Black Journalists His Black Opponent Is Not Black
Business Insider: Trumps lies to Black journalist convention crowd and says Kamala Harris 'happened to turn Black' a few years ago
Variety: Donald Trump Says Kamala Harris ‘Used to be Indian…Until a Few Years Ago’ When ‘She Happened to Turn Black’ During Contentious NABJ Panel
The Hill: Trump mocks Harris’s heritage: ‘She happened to turn Black’
Forbes: Trump Questions Kamala Harris' Race: Claims She ‘Became A Black Person’ In Combative Interview
editorandpublisher: Trump insults moderator, questions if Harris is Black in contentious Q&A with Black journalists in Chicago
AZCentral: Well, Donald Trump's NABJ interview was 'insane,' 'horrific' TV
NY Daily News: Trump to Black journalists: Kamala Harris only recently ‘became a Black person’
RawStory: 'Bombed': Critics say 'racist' Trump 'destroyed himself' at NABJ event
Donald Trump "bombed" during a question-and-answer session with the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago on Wednesday, according to those who watched the event unfold in person and online. . . .
Speaking to MSNBC after the questionnaire unfolded, NBC News' Jonathan Allen noted Trump began the discussion with a combative style, attacking ABC News reporter Rachel Scott. He thinks Trump was playing to his base on the dime of the NABJ. . . .
Republican Brendan Buck, however, said that whatever Trump's purpose was, the video was a gift to Kamala Harris. Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky noted that the misogyny Trump displayed toward Scott would damage him with women.
The juggernaut continues.
