Trump attacks ABC News reporter during tense NABJ interview

Former President Trump on Wednesday clashed with an ABC News correspondent at a convention of Black journalists, slamming her “disgraceful” questioning after she asked why Black voters should trust him with another term.

ABC News’s Rachel Scott opened a question-and-answer session with Trump by citing his past comments spreading the birther conspiracy about former President Obama, his call for certain Democratic lawmakers to “go back” to countries they came from and his meeting with a white supremacist at Mar-a-Lago.

“Why should Black voters trust you?” Scott asked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner. A first question. You don’t even say hello, how are you,” Trump said. “Are you with ABC, because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network. I think it’s disgraceful that I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country, I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country.”

The event started more than an hour behind schedule, an issue Trump and his team attributed to technical issues at the convention. He also complained that he was in attendance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, but his likely opponent, Vice President Harris, was not.

NABJ leadership has said it is working with Harris’s team to schedule a virtual or in-person interview for September, but the two sides were not able to secure her attendance this week.

“I think it’s a very nasty question,” Trump said. “For you to start off a question and answer period especially when you’re 35 minutes late … in such a hostile manner, I think it’s a disgrace.”

Trump sat for an interview at the NABJ conference moderated by three journalists: ABC’s Rachel Scott, Semafor’s Kadia Goba and Fox News host Harris Faulkner. 

His appearance at the event sparked backlash from several Black journalists, who questioned why the organization would invite the former president given his attacks on the press and journalists of color in particular.

Organizers have defended the decision to invite Trump, citing the value of interviewing a leading candidate for the White House.