The conversation went off the rails within the first few minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking Wednesday to three Black female reporters at the National Association of Black Journalists\u2019 annual convention, former President Donald Trump was expected to make an appeal to Black voters, contrast his appearance with Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019s absence from the event, and, of course, face some tough questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of using the interview to present a positive case for the audiences that a roomful of Black journalists cover and inform, he immediately slid into the vindictive, petty, and confrontational persona that first shocked many Americans during the 2016 campaign, came to dominate daily life during Trump\u2019s presidency, and which many Americans may have forgotten about since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner. \u2026 I think it\u2019s a very rude introduction. I don\u2019t know exactly why you would do something like that,\u201d Trump told ABC News\u2019 Rachel Scott after she asked Trump about his history of making offensive statements about Black politicians and journalists. \u201cI think it\u2019s a very nasty question. \u2026 I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the Q&A went about as well, with Trump taking swipes at the reporters interviewing him, complaining about the sound system and equipment, doubling down on pardoning January 6 rioters, and most shockingly, questioning Harris\u2019s racial and ethnic background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,\u201d Trump said of Harris while answering a question about Republicans calling Harris a \u201cDEI hire.\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don\u2019t know, is she Indian or is she Black?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since leaving office as the most unpopular president (until Biden) and at a low point in favorability, Trump has managed to repair his reputation with significant chunks of the American electorate. His net negative favorability rating<\/a> has nearly halved since January 2021; he has grown more popular<\/a> with younger voters, voters of color, and lower-income voters since his presidency ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has managed to do so as he consolidates support among the Republican base with more blatantly violent<\/a> and negative<\/a> rhetoric since his first campaign in 2016. An NBC News analysis of Trump\u2019s public statements since leaving office, for example, found the former president\u2019s rhetoric taking a \u201cdark and aggressive<\/a>\u201d turn that ramped up in fall 2023, while other academic work has found his usage of \u201cviolent vocabulary<\/a>\u201d increasing in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how has Trump simultaneously fired up his base while appealing to voters outside of it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve previously combed through a few theories<\/a> for how Trump pulled this off, but Wednesday\u2019s appearance at the NABJ conference brings to mind one in particular: The less people see of Trump, the more they like him. And for the past few years, people have simply seen less of Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attention to political news has dropped, people have tuned out of national politics, and Biden became the target of the public\u2019s anger and dissatisfaction with a variety of international, economic, and political crises. Facing Biden, he could run a quieter campaign, receive muted attention, and speak to his base while the rest of the public remained tuned out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (It also helped that many of the newest voters entering the electorate also did not remember<\/a> a lot of the most offensive things he said while rising to the White House. In polling conducted by the Democratic firm Blueprint, most voters under 30 had never heard of him advocating for \u201ca total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States\u201d or saying there were \u201cvery fine people on both sides\u201d of the 2017 Charlottesville \u201cUnite the Right\u201d white supremacist rally.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Trump can\u2019t stop himself from just being Trump, and given a chance, he can\u2019t help but remind voters of who and how he is. On Wednesday, that meant putting forward an array of false, racist attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After lying about Harris\u2019s Blackness, Trump repeated a go-to falsehood about Democrats supporting \u201cpartial-birth\u201d abortions, that \u201cthey are radical on abortion \u2026 they are allowing the death of a baby even after it is born.\u201d Scott and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba pushed back, pointing out this is illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the event, Trump, his campaign, and conservative allies have not just dug in but trumpeted the event. Trump repeated his attack of Harris on Truth Social<\/a>, saying, \u201cCrazy Kamala is saying she\u2019s Indian, not Black. This is a big deal. Stone cold phony. She uses everybody, including her racial identity!\u201d A clip of a headline describing Harris as the first Indian-American senator from California was projected<\/a> at his rally in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NABJ\u2019s decision to invite Trump was controversial within the organization\u2019s membership and caused public rifts among its leadership and membership. Some contended that the benefits of scrutinizing the former president\u2019s record in a journalistically sound fashion outweighed the downsides. Others objected to handing the mic to someone with a long history of anti-Black and misogynistic rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are strong arguments for and against interviewing Trump, but wherever you land on that, it was evident Wednesday that giving Trump a platform isn\u2019t the same as giving him an advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u200b\u200bPeople should see this! A grumpy, cruel, hard-of-hearing, race-baiting, asshole having to actually answer for his track record in an environment outside of his comfort zone,\u201d the \u201cnever-Trump\u201d Republican strategist Tim Miller posted on X after the Trump interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That all is the more significant now that the race has reset, with Harris in and Biden out. With Trump out of the White House and off Twitter (now known as X), Americans could be forgiven for not remembering just how much they disliked Trump and how much he remains the same man who ran for office in 2016 and 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The campaign is in full swing and the spotlight is back on Trump, and this much is clear: Give Trump the opportunity to show the public who he is, and he\u2019ll gladly do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The post Speaking to Black journalists, Trump reminded everyone how racist he can be<\/a> appeared first on Vox<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The conversation went off the rails within the first few minutes. Speaking Wednesday to three Black female reporters at the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Speaking-to-Black-journalists-Trump-reminded-everyone-how-racist-he-750x375-1.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15977,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/museveni-clarifies-indian-ocean-comments-calls-for-unified-eac-security-and-economic-integration\/","url_meta":{"origin":12538,"position":0},"title":"Museveni Clarifies Indian Ocean Comments, Calls for Unified EAC Security And Economic Integration","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has clarified his recent remarks on the Indian Ocean, emphasizing that his comments were rooted in questions of strategic security, economic access, and long-term survival for landlocked African nations. Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with journalists from the Busoga Sub-region at State Lodge Mayuge, President\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/G6OE53FWMAARCIX-2048x1874-1.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/G6OE53FWMAARCIX-2048x1874-1.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/G6OE53FWMAARCIX-2048x1874-1.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/G6OE53FWMAARCIX-2048x1874-1.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/G6OE53FWMAARCIX-2048x1874-1.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14144,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/humorous-kawempe-north-mp-elect-lawyer-nalukoola-sworn-in\/","url_meta":{"origin":12538,"position":1},"title":"Humorous Kawempe North Mp Elect Lawyer Nalukoola Sworn-in","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Humorous Lawyer and Kawempe North MP Elect ,Elias Nalukoola has been sworn by Speaker of Parliament Anita Among . Nalukoola was accompanied his young daughter, father and wife among others . He wasted no time after taking the oath and asked the Speaker that once parliamentary resumes its plenary sittings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/33aa926f-681e-4572-83cb-e46c991e6f0e-795x570-1.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/33aa926f-681e-4572-83cb-e46c991e6f0e-795x570-1.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/33aa926f-681e-4572-83cb-e46c991e6f0e-795x570-1.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/33aa926f-681e-4572-83cb-e46c991e6f0e-795x570-1.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7771,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/president-museveni-says-security-will-eliminate-electricity-infrastructure-vandalism\/","url_meta":{"origin":12538,"position":2},"title":"PRESIDENT MUSEVENI SAYS SECURITY WILL ELIMINATE ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE VANDALISM","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"December 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"President Yoweri Museveni has said that government security machinery is going to decisively deal with the rampant vandalism of the country's electricity infrastructure . He said that although the problem that is costing the country millions of US dollars and leaving many parts of the country in prolonged blackouts- has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Energy"","block_context":{"text":"Energy","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/energy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/President-Museveni-Nakasero.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/President-Museveni-Nakasero.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/President-Museveni-Nakasero.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/President-Museveni-Nakasero.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16495,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/the-rev-jesse-jackson-pioneering-civil-rights-activist-and-racial-pathfinder-dies-at-84\/","url_meta":{"origin":12538,"position":3},"title":"The Rev. Jesse Jackson, pioneering civil rights activist and racial \u2018pathfinder,\u2019 dies at 84","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"February 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, the towering civil rights leader whose moral vision and fiery oratory reshaped the Democratic Party and America,\u00a0has died, his son said. He was 84. Jackson, a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., had been\u00a0hospitalized\u00a0in recent months and was under observation for progressive supranuclear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unnamed-scaled.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unnamed-scaled.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unnamed-scaled.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unnamed-scaled.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unnamed-scaled.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10534,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/president-museveni-courts-danish-journalists-to-promote-ugandas-tourism-sector\/","url_meta":{"origin":12538,"position":4},"title":"President Museveni courts Danish Journalists to promote Uganda\u2019s tourism sector","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday November 10, 2023, met a group of travel Journalists from Denmark at State House Entebbe. The journalists have been in Uganda since 4th November, 2023 and have managed to tour several tourist attractions like Kazinga Channel, National Parks and water bodies. The journalists were led\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/SH-750x375-1.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/SH-750x375-1.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/SH-750x375-1.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/SH-750x375-1.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2136,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/bantariza-the-liveliest-army-spokesman-uganda-ever-had\/","url_meta":{"origin":12538,"position":5},"title":"Bantariza, The Liveliest Army Spokesman Uganda Ever Had","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"October 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Shaban Bantariza! Ugandan journalists who joined the profession after 2005 may never know the fun of engaging with \u00a0a confident military spokesman. Colonel (then Major) Shaban Bantariza who took up the post in 2000, was redeployed from the spokesmanship in 2005 to join his senior colleagues as pioneer students\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/bantaliza.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/bantaliza.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/bantaliza.jpg 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0aOV-3ge","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12540,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12538\/revisions\/12540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}