Why did Trump claim at NABJ that Kamala Harris is not black, and then double down on that claim last night? Bill Kristol thinks he did so for this reason:
"Trump may well have decided that to win, he has to increase the salience of race in this campaign. Sadly, this is not a new gambit in American politics. And sadly, it sometimes works."
And:
"Harris shouldn’t be left alone to defend herself."
"For a fun trip back down memory lane, back in 2020 when Democrats were calling Trump racist, his campaign pointed to his old contributions to Harris as proof he was not.
'Kamala Harris is a Black Woman and he donated to her campaign. So I hope we can squash this racism argument.'"
~ Tyson Brody quoted by Bill Kristol
"The myth of the newer, more disciplined Trump came to an end yesterday when he lost his marbles on stage during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists conference. …
While the whole New Trump thing is way overstated, it’s been a very long time since he has imploded in public like he did yesterday. Trump lost his shit for one reason — he’s scared of Kamala Harris."
~ Dan Pfeiffer
#Trump #NABJ #racism #misogyny
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https://www.messageboxnews.com/p/trumps-disastrous-interview-shows
"This isn’t your grandpa or your crazy uncle raving in the privacy of your holiday dinner.
It’s the former president of the United States turning his cult and his campaign’s hundreds of millions of dollars against people of color on a public stage in the middle of a presidential campaign. It’s a way of declaring open season on vulnerable minorities."
~ David Kurtz
#Trump #NABJ #racism #misogyny
/34
https://morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/of-course-trumps-a-racist-but-its
"I take consolation in the fact that Trump’s attacks and behavior during his ill-fated session with the National Association of Black Journalists will weaken him among undecided voters and with whatever Trump-curious minorities that his campaign has spent years cultivating."
~ Jay Kuo
#Trump #NABJ #racism #misogyny
/35
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/just-when-you-think-he-cant-go-lower
"Trump was not speaking to [NABJ] but to a MAGA audience beyond the Hilton Chicago that loves mocking people of color. He was having jaded fun. ...
As offensive as all that was to the Black men and women staring in his direction, Trump knew it was getting a belly laugh with his crowd, who can’t get enough of that stuff."
~ Colbert King
#Trump #NABJ #racism #misogyny
/36
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/31/trump-harris-nabj-black-lies/
"As I’ve argued before, when Trump says something bogus, you stop him right there. I’ve been arguing since at least 2017 that anyone with a chance to interview Trump owes it to the public to confront him with the facts he so routinely denies. …
The obligation for our major news organizations is not just to transmit Trump’s messages, but to explain what’s so toxic about them."
~ Dan Froomkin
#Trump #NABJ #racism #misogyny
/37
https://criticalread.substack.com/p/the-media-is-complicit-in-spreading
"My personal theory for why [journalists] hold on to this ridiculous notion [that Trump will 'pivot'] is that Trump secretly being a normal human being beneath his bluster will justify the votes that the parents and grandparents of many national reporters have made in Trump’s favor.
If Trump isn’t really a bigot, then Mee-maw is absolved."
~ Oliver Willis
P.S. I think Oliver Willis is absolutely right about this.
#Trump #NABJ #racism #misogyny
/38
https://www.oliverexplains.com/p/trump-cant-stop-showing-his-ass-and
Statement from the Harris campaign re: Trump's performance at NABJ:
"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."
