A speaking invitation to Donald Trump splits the most prominent American group for Black journalists
WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trumps The invitation to address the National Association of Black Journalists has sparked a heated debate within the organization and a flurry of online discussions.
Journalism organizations for people of color traditionally invite presidential candidates to address their summer conventions during election years. But Trump’s acceptance of NABJ’s invitation has prompted at least one prominent group member to resign as co-chair of the convention and others to argue that their convention can become a platform for Trump to make false claims or to be seen as having the support of NABJ.
Trump will be interviewed by three reporters on Wednesday at 12 p.m. CDT in Chicago: Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News. Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee and the first Black woman to hold the office, is not currently scheduled to address the convention. A person familiar with her schedule, who requested anonymity, said Harris’ campaign could not find time for her to appear in person at NABJ and claimed the organization declined an offer for her to appear virtually.
The debate over NABJ’s invitation reflects how many journalists are still grappling with how to approach Trump nearly a decade after his first presidential campaign. Some group members argued that journalists should give newsmakers a chance to be heard, while others pointed to Trump’s denigration of prominent black journalists as president and his frequent attacks on the free press, including labeling reporters “the enemy of the people.”
Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black female journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words like “dumb,” “loser,” and “nasty” to describe Black female journalists, including several Black journalists such as NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor; CNN’s Abby Phillip; and The Grio’s April Ryan.
“The most powerful man in the free world is verbally abusing journalists,” said then-NABJ President Sarah Glover. “His dismissive comments toward journalists April Ryan, Abby Phillip, and Yamiche Alcindor are appalling, irresponsible, and must be condemned.”
When Trump told Alcindor, “Don’t be threatening,” during a 2020 press conference, then-NABJ President Dorothy Tucker condemned the comments as “not only unnecessary, but demeaning and inappropriate.”
Former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all attended NABJ. President Biden attended a virtual NABJ panel during his 2020 presidential campaign, where he was criticized for saying, “Unlike the African American community, with some notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community.”
But for many NABJ members, the decision to host Trump polarizes the organization and threatens the convention’s ethos, which strives to protect and advance Black journalists.
“I understand that the job is supposed to put us in difficult situations if we do it in a meaningful way,” Tyler J. Davis, an NABJ member and freelance journalist, wrote in The TRiiBE, a local black news outlet in Chicago.
“But this isn’t a story assignment or a press conference or a newsroom. NABJ is a place to learn, network, and feel supported. It’s a place where Black people can feel safe and celebrated; where Black media specifically can feel safe and celebrated,” Davis wrote.
NABJ President Ken Lemon insisted the invitation was “absolutely not an endorsement.”
“We invited them both, we got a yes from one of them,” Lemon said. “We would love to get a yes from Kamala as well, but in this case, this is a big moment.”
Lemon added that the event would be a “great opportunity for us to vet the candidate here on our turf” and added that the association had been working with both campaigns for “probably over a month” and that both campaigns had “indicated that they were both interested in being a part of what we’re doing.”
Still, Lemon and other leaders at NABJ have faced internal pushback and calls to resign since Trump’s resignation was announced.
Karen Attiah, a Washington Post columnist who wrote international opinions, stepped down as co-chair of the 2024 convention after it was announced that Trump would appear.
“I wish the journalists interviewing Trump the very best,” Attiah wrote on social media. “While my decision was influenced by several factors, I was in no way involved or consulted in the decision to feature Trump in such a format,” she continued.
Some industry leaders pushed back against the claim that black journalists should not take a chance to interview Trump. They pointed out that no opportunity to hold powerful figures accountable should be wasted, and that NABJ is a uniquely suited forum for that mission.
“It’s outrageous to suggest that they wouldn’t interview a presidential candidate on issues relevant to the organization’s constituency,” said Rana Cash, editor in chief of the Charlotte Observer and a member of the NABJ. wrote on X.
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Seung Min Kim, an Associated Press editor in Washington, contributed to this report.