Taxpayer-funded National Public Radio did not enjoy former President Donald Trump’s performance at the National Association of Black Journalists. On All Things Considered, co-host Ailsa Chang interviewed Kadia Goba of Semafor.com, one of the three moderators from NABJ, who described the night as “unsettling” and “hostile.” NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez later described the event as “kind of nuts all the time.”
Chang began by asking Goba what stood out to her from the Q&A with Trump. Goba answered “I was very surprised at the vitriol at the very beginning. It was quite unsettling and kind of set the tone for a very aggressive panel.”
Chang played a soundbite from the NABJ where “Trump was almost immediately critical” of Rachel Scott’s first question. In the recording, Trump said “I don't think I've ever been asked a question so - in such a horrible manner.”
What Chang did not put on air was Scott's opening question prior to his response where she uncorked a litany of his allegedly racist treatment of political competitors and radical-left Congresswomen, and his name-calling of liberal reporters.
Regardless, Chang went on to ask Goba “what was the feeling like in the room in that moment?” Despite the cheers heard after Trump's response, Goba said “You know, you can't - the visual on the room wasn't clear because of lighting, but, I mean, immediately deflated because at this point, this is now - this has become a hostile interview – right?”
Chang brought up the live-fact checking during the NABJ because “he did make a number of false statements.” One of Chang’s examples was when Trump said “millions of criminals are crossing the Southern border into the U.S.”
Chang shared a statement from the Kamala Harris campaign that said “Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.” Goba exclaimed that the vice president is “factually correct” and that she herself “did not expect the personal attacks at all.”
On Thursday's Morning Edition, co-host Leila Fadel brought in NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. She described Trump's invitation to speak at the NABJ as “controversial – because of the things he’s said and done.” Ordoñez agreed that it was “very controversial” and professed that Trump “sparred” with moderators.
To Ordoñez, the event was “really kind of nuts all the time.” He added that “Trump has a history of promoting racist birther conspiracy theories” targeting Harris and Barack Obama. Unsurprisingly, Fadel agreed saying “Right and what he's saying there isn't actually true” about Harris's racial identity.
Ordoñez gave a more detailed summary of the hostile questions at the NABJ conference before saying that the conversation got “overtaken by Trump’s comments”:
Fadel concluded by asking Ordoñez if Trump continued to "question Harris’s background or address it in any way” Wednesday night at his rally in Pennsylvania. Ordoñez noted that Trump “didn’t bring it back up” but did “continue to attack Harris.” Of course, he ended with the belief that these are “the kind of comments that he has a history of doing.”
NPR All Things Considered
7/31/2024
5:22 PM ET
AILSA CHANG: Earlier today at a conference in Chicago, former President Trump said this about Vice President Harris.
[SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
DONALD TRUMP: I didn't 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't know. Is she Indian or is she Black?
RACHEL SCOTT: She has always identified as a Black woman.
TRUMP: But you know what? I respect...
[STOP SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
CHANG: Trump was addressing the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists. He was invited to speak there because presidential candidates often are, but it's stirred up controversy, both before and during the talk. So how did the talk go? And what has the response been? We're joined now by Kadia Goba, a political reporter for Semafor. She was also one of the three moderators for today's talk. Welcome.
KADIA GOBA: Hi.
CHANG: Hi.
GOBA: Thank you for having me.
CHANG: Thanks for being with us. So Kadia, you're fresh off the stage with former President Trump. What stood out to you personally about the Q&A session you just had?
GOBA: Well, obviously, I wasn't surprised that former President Trump didn't answer questions like most people do. But I was very surprised at the vitriol at the very beginning. It was very - it was quite unsettling and kind of set the tone for a very aggressive panel.
CHANG: Can I play that piece of tape? You're talking about the fact that Trump was almost immediately critical of your co-panelist, ABC News congressional correspondent Rachel Scott. Here's a clip of that.
[SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
TRUMP: Well, first of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question so - in such a horrible manner, a first question. 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.
[STOP SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
CHANG: Kadia, what was the feeling like in the room in that moment?
GOBA: You know, you can't - the visual on the room wasn't clear because of lighting, but, I mean, immediately deflated because at this point, this is now - this has become a hostile interview - right? - and not what we set out to do. Obviously, the former president came out here because he is the Republican nominee. And I'm sure his team, as well as the panelists on that stage, wanted to get answers - right? - because he's running for president - wanted to understand what he is going to do, especially for Black people, and just get him on the record for some questions that the many - at least 1,000 journalists in the audience would have really appreciated. And it was just deflating to - for it to start off that way.
CHANG: Can I just keep going into this? - because former President Trump has spread lies and disinformation about the 2020 election, about immigration, about a lot of topics. Was there a plan going into today for fact-checking him during this talk?
GOBA: Yeah. There was - we announced it at the beginning of the panel. PolitiFact was doing live fact-checking.
CHANG: OK. I mean, he did make a number of false statements, some of which you all pointed out. Like, he said millions of criminals are crossing...
GOBA: Yes.
CHANG: ...The Southern border into the U.S. right now. On abortions, he said that Democrats are allowing for the death of a baby after the baby is born - all false. I want to go to a statement from the campaign of Vice President Harris. It reads, quote, "Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists, the same way he did throughout his presidency. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us." What do you make of that assessment from Vice President Harris?
GOBA: I mean, I think, you know, in terms of her - she's factually correct in that he lobbed personal attacks on journalists like that. It's - you know, that was my point of view as well. That was - it was very unexpected. I did not set out to interview the president. Like I've told other hits I've done, you know, everyone is very strategic about how they formulate their question for Donald Trump because the expectation is that, like many other lawmakers, he will pivot. But did not expect the personal attacks at all - it just, you know...
CHANG: Do you think NABJ accomplished what it set out to do with this conversation with Trump?
GOBA: You know, that's a great question. I mean, I'd like to say I got him on record about cognitive tests, right? So I mean, if - and he did answer a couple of questions. So, I mean, their - they asked - their main platform is asking, you know, presidential candidates to do this.
CHANG: Right.
GOBA: So, I mean, they accomplished that.
CHANG: OK. Kadia Goba, political reporter at Semafor, thank you very much.
GOBA: Thank you for having me.
NPR Morning Edition
8/1/2024
3:33 AM ET
LEILA FADEL: The spotlight in the presidential race has shifted away from Donald Trump lately, which doesn't happen too often. Yesterday, he had a chance to take it back when he appeared at a convention for Black journalists. He used the moment to mock Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identity.
[SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
DONALD TRUMP: She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't 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't know. Is she Indian, or is she Black?
RACHEL SCOTT: She has always identified as Black.
[ END SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
FADEL: Harris went to a historically Black university and has always identified as both Black and Indian American. NPR's Franco Ordoñez was listening in from Pennsylvania, where Trump held a rally last night, and he joins us now. Good morning, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: OK. I mean, we should mention the fact that Trump was even invited to speak to the National Association of Black Journalists was controversial - right? - because of things he's said and done. Tell us more about the event.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. It was very controversial, the invite. And, frankly, right off the bat, he sparred with ABC's Rachel Scott, who was one of the moderators. She said she wanted to address the, quote, "elephant in the room," and then asked him pretty directly why Black voters should trust him when he's used words like, quote, "animal" to describe Black district attorneys and told Black elected officials to, quote, "go back to where they came from."
[SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
TRUMP: First of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question so - in such a horrible manner, a first question. You don't even say hello, how are you?
[END SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
ORDOÑEZ: He was also asked if he agreed with some Republicans who have called Harris a, quote, "DEI hire." Here's more of what he said.
[SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
TRUMP: I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn, and she went - she became a Black person.
SCOTT: Just to be clear, sir, do you believe...
[END SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, it was really kind of nuts all the time. I mean, the event started late. It was cut short. And I'll just add that Trump has a history of promoting racist birther conspiracy theories, targeting Harris and, even before her, former President Barack Obama.
FADEL: Right. And what he's saying there isn't actually true. As we pointed out, she's always been clear about her identity. Have we heard a response from the vice president?
ORDOÑEZ: Yes, we did. And she was speaking to a conference - addressed this while speaking at a historically Black sorority in Houston.
[SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: It was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say the American people deserve better.
[END SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
ORDOÑEZ: She said Trump's comments were yet another reminder of what his presidency was like.
FADEL: So beyond the remarks about Harris, as well as calling Rachel Scott - the ABC moderator, the reporter - a nasty woman, that woman, did he have a broader message for the group?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, he talked about jobs and the economy. He claimed to be the best president for Black people since Abraham Lincoln. He talked about the border, and he appeared to be trying to pit immigrant workers against Black workers. But even that message itself got overtaken by Trump's comments about Harris.
FADEL: Now, you were at Trump's rally in Harrisburg last night, the first rally in Pennsylvania since the attempted assassination, I should say. Did he continue to question Harris' background or address it in any way?
ORDOÑEZ: You know, he doesn't typically, you know, back down from controversy...
FADEL: Right.
ORDOÑEZ: But he didn't bring it back up. But he did certainly continue to attack Harris, called her names, including lunatic. And again, this is the kind of comments that he has a history of doing. And really, as a result of all this, you know, this is what we're talking about instead of immigration, which is what something might help him with voters.
FADEL: Franco, thanks so much for the reporting.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Leila.
FADEL: That's NPR's Franco Ordoñez.
