Election 2024 updates: Trump attacked Black journalists at NABJ, Harris campaign says

Vice President Kamala Harris is moving full steam ahead in her bid for the White House.

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, have several campaign events set up this week as they aim their attacks on Harris.

Harris has secured commitments from enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee if they all honor their commitment when voting, according to ABC News reporting.

Latest Developments

_{Jul 31, 4:24 PM}

'Trump showing exactly who he Is at NABJ,' Harris campaign says

Michael Tyler, a spokesman for Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, released a statement Wednesday responding to former President Donald Trump's interview at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago.

"The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people," he said.

"Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us," Tyler added.

"Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign. It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as Vice President Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans. All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10," he concluded.

-ABC News' Mary Bruce

_{Jul 31, 3:38 PM}

White House press secretary calls Trump's comments on Harris' race 'repulsive'

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back against former President Donald Trump on Wednesday after he questioned Vice President Kamala Harris' race during a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago.

Trump refused to answer a question by ABC News' Rachel Scott if Harris, who is Black and Indian, was a "DEI hire," an argument floated by some Republicans last week.

"She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” 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?"

He later said, "I really don't know, could be, could be, there are some."

Jean-Pierre criticized those comments during the daily White House briefing that was going on at the same time.

"As a person of color, as a Black woman who is in this position, that is standing before you at this podium, behind this lectern, what he just said, what you just read out to me is repulsive. It's insulting," she said. "And no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify. That is no one's right. It is someone's own decisions."

Jean-Pierre added that Harris -- who attended Howard University, an HBCU, and was a member of the Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha -- is the vice president and said that people have to "put some respect on her name."

"It doesn't matter if it's a former leader, a former president. It is insulting. And we have to put -- she is the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. We have to put some respect on her name," Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

_{Jul 31, 2:46 PM}

UAW endorses Harris

The United Auto Workers International Executive Board voted Wednesday to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid.

"Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.

“We stand at a crossroads in this country. We can put a billionaire back in office who stands against everything our union stands for, or we can elect Kamala Harris who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in our war on corporate greed. This campaign is bringing together people from all walks of life, building a movement that can defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. For our one million active and retired members, the choice is clear: We will elect Kamala Harris to be our next President this November," he added.

-ABC News' Brittany Shepherd

_{Jul 31, 1:18 PM}

Trump, Harris campaign trade barbs over NABJ appearance

Trump posted another statement on Truth Social expressing fury that Harris may talk to the National Association of Black Journalists Conference via Zoom.

"I am getting ready to land in Chicago in order to be there. Now I am told that she is doing the Event on ZOOM. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" he posted.

In response to former President Trump's appearance at NABJ, the Harris campaign released a statement calling out all of the "lies" they claim Trump will mention about his record with the Black community.

"Not only does Donald Trump have a history of demeaning NABJ members and honorees who remain pillars of the Black press, he also has a history of attacking the media and working against the vital role the press play in our democracy."

The campaign listed "skyrocketing Black unemployment," his response to the pandemic, and "skyrocketing crime."

-ABC News' Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Isabella Murray and Will McDuffie

_{Jul 31, 1:16 PM}

Harris fundraising off of her vice presidential selection process

The Harris campaign is fundraising off of the heightened interest in her selection process for her running mate.

The campaign shared a photo in an email Wednesday of President Joe Biden asking her to be his vice president, recounting how memorable of a moment it was for her before relaying she understands just how much of an "important" choice the decision is.

"Though I have not made my decision yet, it is important to me that grassroots supporters -- like you -- have direct updates about the state of the race," Harris wrote. "The selection of my running mate is not something that I am taking lightly. It is an important choice," the message read.

-ABC News' Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Isabella Murray and Will McDuffie

_{Jul 31, 1:13 PM}

DNC Chair Harrison, other convention leaders to participate in NABJ event

The Democratic National Convention Committee released their own National Association of Black Journalists plans Wednesday, which come as their now-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris remains off the conference's schedule.

On Thursday, top convention leaders including DNC Chair Jamie Harrison will participate in an on the record Q&A session with members of the NABJ Political Task Force, according to Democratic National Convention Officials.

The conversation will be moderated by Choose Chicago Chair Glenn Eden. Other participants include Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore, Chicago 2024 Host Committee Executive Director Christy George and Chicago 2024 Host Committee Senior Advisor Keiana Barret, according to the officials.

"Convention leadership will discuss how President Biden, Vice President [Harris], and Democrats have delivered for Black Americans by lowering health care costs, investing $7 billion in HBCUs, canceling more student debt than any president in history, and building an administration that looks like America," the officials said.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

_{Jul 31, 12:22 PM}

Trump interview at Black journalists association convention sparks controversy

Former President Donald Trump's scheduled interview Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago has sparked criticism from some of its members.

Trump will be in conversation with ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba at 1:30 p.m.

"While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know," Ken Lemon, the association's president, said in a statement.

[callout = MORE: Trump to be interviewed at National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago ]

Some members have expressed criticism over the interview.

April Ryan, the Washington bureau chief of TheGrio who was awarded the NABJ's "Journalist of the Year" back in 2017, wrote online that his invitation was "a slap in the face."

Karen Attiah, the co-chair of the convention, resigned earlier this week after the NABJ announced Trump's appearance. Attiah wrote in a post on X, "To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck," explaining that his appearance was only partly behind her decision and that it was "influenced by a variety of factors."

Others, however, have defended the decision.

MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend, who was formerly Vice President Kamala Harris's spokesperson, wrote on X: "Some of the best journalists in the country are members of NABJ. So, why wouldn't they interview Trump? He is the Republican nominee."

-ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler

_{Jul 31, 11:57 AM}

Trump tries to downplay turnout at Harris rally

Former President Donald Trump attempted to pour cold water on the enthusiasm at Vice President Kamala Harris' Tuesday night rally in Atlanta .

Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social Wednesday morning that the turnout was only high because artists performed ahead of her speech.

"Crazy Kamala Harris, voted the WORST Vice President in American history, needed a concert to bring people into the Atlanta arena, and they started leaving 5 minutes into her speech. I don't need concerts or entertainers, I just have to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!" he said in his post.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

_{Jul 31, 11:47 AM}

Mark Kelly defends Harris' immigration record

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who is seen as a strong Democratic vice presidential pick, defended the vice president's record on immigration and went on the attack against Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, in an interview on "Morning Joe" on Wednesday.

"Donald Trump and Senate Republicans, what did they do several months ago? We had a bipartisan bill that we negotiated faithfully with the administration, both sides of the aisle, and Donald Trump said that Senate Republicans can't vote for it," Kelly said. "He wanted to talk about this issue instead of actually fix it and JD Vance and other Republicans, they ran away from it."

He said Vance, who plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border Wednesday, should instead be back in Washington passing legislation on the border.

"I mean, JD Vance is down here," Kelly said. "I think he's in Arizona today probably getting a photo op at the southern border. Kamala Harris is about solving problems. Donald Trump wants to take us, drag us back a decade."

Kelly said, in contrast, Harris wants to address border and immigration.

"She's worked on this problem for three-and-a-half years and it's a challenging problem. I mean, I represent a border state. But we have made progress, especially with what was put in place over the last several months," Kelly said defending Harris. "But I can't stress more that this is an issue that Donald Trump and Republicans just want to talk about."

When asked what he thought Harris needed in a running mate, Kelly said, "That's going to be something that the vice president is going to have to figure out."

"I think she's got a lot of great choices out there," he added. "My focus is not on this, and this is not about me. I mean, this is about the future of our country."

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow

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