Harris’ campaign criticized former President Trump on Wednesday for his appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago.
“Before Donald Trump talks at NABJ today – let’s remember exactly who this man is. Donald Trump not only has a history of humiliating NABJ members and honorees who continue to be pillars of the black press, but he also has a history of attacking the media and working against the vital role the press plays in our democracy,” said Jasmine Harris, the Black Media Director for the Harris campaign, said in a statement before Trump took the stage.
“We know that Donald Trump will lie about his record and the real harm he has done to communities of color at NABJ – and he must be called out,” she added.
Vice President Harris’ team predicted that Trump would lie about Black unemployment under his administration, his response to COVID-19 and the crime situation in America, which declined last year under the Biden administration after rising during the pandemic.
“Black voters see Donald Trump’s lies and empty sycophancy for what they are – and will hold him accountable at the polls this November,” Harris said in a statement.
Trump will give an interview at the NABJ conference moderated by three journalists: ABC’s Rachel Scott, Semafor’s Kadia Goba and Fox News host Harris Faulkner.
His appearance at the event generated a reaction from several black journalists, who questioned why the organization would invite the former president, given his attacks on the press and black journalists in particular.
Organizers defended the decision to invite the former president, citing the value of interviewing a major White House candidate.
Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee after President Biden ended his candidacy earlier this month, will not attend this week’s convention in Chicago. She will be in Texas for a political event on Wednesday and will remain there on Thursday to speak at the funeral of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas).
Ken Lemon, president of NABJ, said in a statement earlier Wednesday that the organization had been in talks with Harris’ team since before Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her.
“However, we were informed by his campaign at the time that his schedule could not accommodate this request,” Lemon said. “The last update we received (earlier this week) was that Harris would not be available in person or virtually during our convention. We are talking about virtual options in the future and are still working to reach an agreement.”
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