WATCH: Trump walks into ‘lion’s den,’ gets into fiery exchange with ABC reporter at Black journalist event

14

Former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, walked right into the lion’s den when he flew to Chicago on Wednesday and participated in a discussion at the National Association of Black Journalists’ Annual Convention and Career Fair.

The discussion was moderated by three Black journalists: ABC News’s Rachel Scott, Fox News’s Harris Faulkner, and Semafor’s Kadia Goba.  Trump was viciously and repeatedly attacked by the two liberal journalists on the panel, Scott and Goba.

Scott started things off with a bang, saying, “Mr. president, we so appreciate you giving us an hour of your time. I want to start by addressing the elephant in the room, sir. A lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today. You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals from Nikki Haley to former president Barack Obama, saying that they were not born in the United States, which is not true,” Scott said. “You have told four Congresswomen of color, who were American citizens, to go back to where they came from.”

“You have used words like animal and rabid to describe black district attorneys. You have attacked black journalists, calling them a loser, saying the questions that they ask are ‘stupid and racist.’ You’ve had dinner with a white supremacist at you’re Mar-a-Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you are asking black supporters to vote for you, why should black voters trust you after you have used language like that?” she declared.

Trump kept silent during her tirade, then unloaded on her.

“Well, first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question so in such a horrible manner… You don’t even say ‘hello, how are you?’ Are you with ABC, because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network. I think it’s disgraceful that I came here in good spirit,” Trump began.

“I love the black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the black population of this country, including employment, including opportunity zones with Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, which is one of the greatest programs ever for black workers and black entrepreneurs.”

“I’ve done so much… historically black colleges and universities were out of money, they were stone cold broke and I saved them and I gave them long-term financing and nobody else was doing it. I think it’s a very rude introduction. I don’t know exactly why you would do something like that,” he continued.

“And let me go a step further… I was invited here and I was told my opponent whether it was Biden or Kamala. I was told my opponent was going to be here. It turned out my opponent isn’t here. You invited me under false pretense. And then you said, ‘you can’t do it with Zoom.’ Well, where’s Zoom. She’s going to do it with Zoom and she’s not coming.”

“And then you were half an hour late,” Trump said, noting that they couldn’t even get their equipment to work.

“I think it’s a very nasty question … I have been the best president for the black population since Abraham Lincoln. That’s my answer,” he said. “And for you to start off a question and answer period, especially when you’re 35 minutes late, because you couldn’t get your equipment to work, in such a hostile manner, I think it’s a disgrace. I really do.”

The audience repeatedly applauded and cheered while Trump was speaking.

WATCH the explosive exchange below:

After the event, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, “ABC FAKE NEWS, ONE OF THE WORST IN AMERICA!”

In another post, Trump added, “The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!”

Conservatives are reacting to the exchange en masse.

Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, said in a social media post, “President Trump walked right into the NABJ conference and showed he had the courage to take tough questions, while Kamala Harris continues to hide from any scrutiny or unfriendly media like the coward she is.”

Trump’s former HUD director Dr. Ben Carson wrote, “I commend my friend @realdonaldtrump for going into a hostile environment at @NABJ today and answering tough questions. What time does VP Harris get to Chicago? That’s right, she didn’t show up because most of the “journalists” in that room already do her bidding for her.”

Fox News analyst Gianno Caldwell, who is from Chicago, wrote, “I give Trump credit for showing up to #NABJ24 when VP Harris didn’t see a need to attend the convention and answer questions. People have the right to disagree with his answers and challenge him, but he showed up.”

Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Tex.) wrote:

In the spirit of having an important conversation with the American people and the black community, President Trump went in person to NABJ today (unlike his Democrat opponent) who continues to take the black community for granted. He stood strong in the face of vicious attacks and gotcha questions, because that’s what leaders do.

As for his record, President Trump accomplished MORE for the Black Community than any other President in my lifetime. FULL STOP.

He’s responsible for the First Step Act (real criminal justice reform), historic funding of HBCUs (just like the one my parents attended), created opportunity zones, funded workforce development, was a CHAMPION for school choice, and delivered the greatest economy of our lifetime for Americans of ALL color.

Facts matter. Trump has delivered for the black community and as President, he will AGAIN.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) wrote:

Today, President Trump entered a hostile environment, highlighted his historic accomplishments, and spoke directly to the issues that matter:

▪️Securing the border
▪️Reducing Biden-Harris inflation
▪️Restoring energy independence

Fostering tough conversations and debate is how we Make America Great Again for all Americans. Unlike Kamala Harris, President Trump is not afraid of going into any venue, any time, anywhere, and today was no exception.

“This is what it means to show up everywhere,” declared Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).

RNC Chair Michael Whatley wrote, “President Trump flew to Chicago, took tough question after tough question from the press, and crushed it. Kamala didn’t have the guts to show up. Whether it’s a rally in the Bronx or visiting the NABJ in Chicago, President Trump is talking to every American.”

Axios reporter Sophia Cai claimed, “Trump agreed to sit for an hourlong interview…his team cut it off at 34 minutes, an indication of how much of a train wreck it was for him — and also how good the questioning was.”

The Trump War Room fired back, “Why do you lie, Sophia? President Trump got there early. President Trump patiently waited and waited for them to fix their audio problems. But President Trump has a rally in Pennsylvania tonight — so because of THEIR audio problem, they lost time in the panel.”

Journalist Nick Sortor declared, “This garbage is EXACTLY why President Trump should REFUSE to let ABC “moderate” a debate. ABC is a mouthpiece for Kamala and the Democrats, and nothing more. Fake news hacks.”

The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS SECTION