Trump's Insults and Difficulty Hearing at NABJ debut

By Mona Austin

(TSN): Former Pres. Donald Trump imploded in a Q&A with a trio of Black Journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists conference on Wednesday. His conduct began to devolve into insults seconds into the 34-minute event as he chided moderator Rachel Scott for questioning why Black voters should trust him after a history of debasing them. In summary, he publicly insulted Black journalists, the organization and Black Americans in genera repeatedly. He said she was “not a good reporter” and stated wrongly that the poised and well-composed journalist was “totally out of control.”

The reporter and Republican presidential candidate engaged in a tense exchange when Scott asked if Trump didn't want Vice President Kamala Harris to run because she is a Black woman. "Is she Black," he questioned before insinuating that she was passing. He said he always thought she was Indian and turned Black. This rhetoric is similar to questioning the citizenship of Pres. Barack Obama.

Attendees chiming in online said the atmosphere was tense and may be why Trump’s team cut off what was supposed to be a 1 hour affair. The Harris camp mused that it could be an in-kind donation to their campaign given how off-putting Trump's conduct was to potential African American voters. Several Black organizations condemned NABJ for inviting Trump to begin with for opening up a platform for him to disrespect Black people.

In response to the meltdown the Harris campaign said in an email, "If this is how Trump reacts to tough questions, it’s clear why he’s dodging a debate with Vice President Harris."

Trump complained about the audio a couple of times during the Q&A which call into question the health of his audio function. His right ear had been grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt two week prior to the appearance at the event. The room was not noisy. Trump and the reporters were seated in close proximity to each other. Only Paris Faulkner of FOX News agreed that it was somewhat hard to hear. Mr. Trump should be periodically tested to make sure he is not losing his ability to hear.