Former President Donald Trump sat for what quickly became a contentious interview with a panel of journalists in Chicago on July 31.
The former president took questions from Rachel Scott of ABC News, Kadia Goba of Semafor, and Harris Faulkner of Fox News before a live audience at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists, which routinely hosts interviews with presidential candidates during election years.
Scott noted that criticism in the preface to her first question for Trump, in which she accused the former president of making false claims about political rivals, insulting black congresswomen, and using demeaning terms to describe some black journalists.
“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?” Scott said.
Trump responded: “Well, first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner. The first question, you don’t even say, ‘Hello, how are you?’
“I think it’s a very rude introduction. I don’t know exactly why you would do something like that.”
From there, the panelists proceeded with prepared questions on policy points and other topics including inflation, voting rights, immunity from prosecution for police officers, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures.
Pushed to state what actions he would take to lower inflation, Trump said, “We have to bring down the cost of energy, and that’s going to bring down the cost of inflation.”
Asked if he would consider stepping down from the presidency if he felt his health was declining, Trump responded, “Oh, absolutely.”
Asked whether he would pardon Jan. 6 defendants who had been convicted of violent crimes, he said: “Oh, absolutely, I would. If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.” In response to further probing, Trump cast doubt on the validity of their convictions, noting, “Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system.”
The journalists raised several questions about vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). When asked about some statements by Vance about women who choose not to have children, Trump said: “You'll have to ask him, actually, but my interpretation is he’s strongly family-oriented. But that doesn’t mean if you don’t have a family, there’s something wrong with it.”
As to why Trump selected Vance as a running mate, the former president said, “I chose him because he’s a very strong believer in work and the working man and woman, and especially the working man and woman who have been treated very unfairly.”
However, when asked if Vance would be ready to step into the presidency if required, Trump downplayed the importance of running mates. “The vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. I mean, virtually no impact,” he said.
Other questions left the panel pushing for specific answers that Trump declined to provide, instead pivoting to talking points about subjects like the border crisis and President Joe Biden’s record.
Trump also made comments about Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity. Noting that Harris is of mixed Jamaican and Indian ancestry, Trump said: “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?”
The remark drew a strong response from Scott, who said Harris has always identified herself as a black woman.
Michael Tyler, communications director for the Harris campaign, later issued a statement saying Trump’s responses showed “the same hostility he has shown through his term in office and throughout his campaign for president.”
