Trump invite to Black journalist convention sparks a backlash

A planned appearance by Donald Trump at a convention of Black journalists has prompted an intense backlash, with members of the organization saying the invitation is inappropriate and should be rescinded.

Members of the National Association of Black Journalists erupted in protest Tuesday following the announcement that Trump would attend a Q&A at the convention this week in Chicago. A co-chair of the event, Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, announced she would step down.

“To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck,” Attiah said in a post on X . “While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format.”

The reaction from NABJ members underscored the divisiveness of the former president as both he and the likely Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, seek the support of Black voters with less than 100 days until the November election.

The NABJ announced Monday that the former president would take part in a special conversation to discuss “the most pressing issues facing the Black community” with moderators Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News; Harris Faulkner, a Fox News anchor; and reporter Kadia Goba of Semafor.

The organization, which has hosted presidential hopefuls in the past, does not endorse political candidates.

“We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most,” NABJ President Ken Lemon said in a statement announcing the Q&A.

The session would give members an opportunity “to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know,” he added.

Trump’s campaign used the announcement to tout the Republican nominee’s record , writing he’s “the only presidential candidate who can deliver results on day one” and linking to polling showing Trump’s popularity growing among Black men.

The chair of the NABJ’s LGBTQ+ task force, Femi Redwood, said on X she was “disturbed” to not be included in discussions about whether to invite Trump, citing “damage he has caused Black queer and trans people.”

Carron J. Phillips, a 2019 and 2020 NABJ award winner who described the convention as “ the only safe haven ” for Black journalists, wrote on X that Trump’s presence made the space unsafe and called it “single dumbest and worst decision in NABJ history.”

Some members pointed to past Trump statements about Black journalists, including April Ryan, White House Correspondent for The Grio, who the former president once called “very nasty” and a “loser.” Ryan, the 2017 NABJ Journalist of the Year, said on X that the event featuring Trump was “a slap in the face.”

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO, said in a statement he opposes Trump’s scheduled appearance at the convention and urged NABJ leadership to withdraw the invitation.

A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some Black journalists defended the invitation. Leroy Chapman Jr., editor in chief of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said on X that he was looking forward to the session and that “we need to ‘normalize’” presidential candidates answering questions from journalists. Symone D. Sanders Townsend, a political commentator on MSNBC, echoed the sentiment : “NABJ didn’t platform Trump. The voters in the Republican primary did.”

Lemon said NABJ invites presidential candidates to the convention every year and that the organization had engaged in conversations with both Trump and President Joe Biden for over a month. Biden had planned to attend before he dropped out of the race, and Harris is unable to speak in person because of other commitments, said a person familiar with her plans who was granted anonymity to talk about scheduling matters.

Several Chicago-based groups — including some that marched at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and plan to do the same at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month — announced an emergency action to protest Trump’s appearance at the convention.