On July 31, during a charged appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago, former President Donald Trump made a remarkable assertion about his support for the black community; he claimed to have been the greatest president for its race since Abraham Lincoln.
The event began with Trump’s frustration about what he called a “very rude introduction” and technical issues that caused more than half an hour delay before it could start. When the discussion shifted to his outreach efforts to black voters, Trump lashed out at journalists calling their questions disgraceful and criticized how they addressed him.
“You don’t even say, ‘Hello. How are you?’ I think it’s disgraceful … I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country,” Trump said. He defended his record by highlighting what he described as career opportunities created during his administration.
Trump’s comparison of himself to Abraham Lincoln was met with skepticism and pushback from the audience. The ex-president added a critique of Kamala Harris who was then the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee saying she used her racial identity for political advantage. “She was Indian all the way and all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black woman.” This comment drew disapproval from commentators who have always identified as both Black people and Southeast Asians which were further examine by fact-checkers.
The event underscored ongoing tension between Trump and NABJ. The organization had earlier condemned Trump’s treatment of Black women journalists such as NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor and CNN’s Abby Phillip during his presidency. Trump’s dismissal at the convention only served to make things worse.
Backlash against comments made by Trump spread beyond just this conference. Derrick Johnson, president/CEO NAACP excoriated Trump over divisive language arguing that there is no dichotomy between “black jobs” and American jobs. Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee similarly expressed this sentiment and underscored that there are black talents in almost every profession thus negating the idea of “Black job.”
