In a display of unhinged racism and misogyny, Donald Trump managed to offend an entire room of Black journalists and torch any remaining shreds of his political viability.
During a recent conference at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Trump seemed to take a perverse delight in blasting bridges into orbit with his incendiary remarks. He subjected the audience to a combative 35-minute question-and-answer session that quickly devolved into a racist dumpster fire. The supposed topic was about the most pressing issues plaguing the black community, but Trump could barely contain his obsession with Kamala Harris and her racial background.
Through a haze of lies, exaggerations, and attacks on ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, Trump zeroed in on the pressing issue of the day: “Is she Indian or is she Black?” He then had the audacity to suggest that someone should “look into” whether Harris decided to “turn Black” recently for political gain.
The notion that a 58-year-old woman has suddenly “turned Black” is laughable on its face. Harris has always been proud of her Black and Indian heritage, a fact that should be obvious to anyone with a shred of common sense. She attended Howard University, a historically Black institution, and joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, a Black sorority. Her lived experience as a woman of color is not a costume she puts on for votes.
The implication that Blackness is something to be investigated, like a crime or a scandal, is deeply offensive. It plays into the racist trope that people of color, particularly those of mixed race, are somehow deceptive or untrustworthy. Trump might as well have demanded to see Harris’ long-form birth certificate while he was at it. This is a man who called a Black prosecutor an “animal,” told Black congresswomen to “go back” to where they came from, and dismissed Black female journalists as “stupid,” “loser,” and “nasty.” These aren’t just controversial statements ⏤ they’re a window into the rot at the core of Trump’s shriveled, hate-filled heart.
Perhaps the most galling is the utter disrespect Trump showed for the NABJ and the Black community as a whole. He stood in front of a room of accomplished Black professionals and reduced their Vice President to a racist punchline. It was a glimpse into the putrid, festering soul of a man who is fundamentally incapable of seeing Black women as fully human. As White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre aptly put it, his comments were “repulsive” and “insulting.”
Ironically, Trump’s verbal diarrhea at the NABJ conference might just be the final, fatal, self-inflicted wound that ultimately destroys his chances of reclaiming the White House. Recent polls show Harris erasing his lead nationwide and in key swing states, and if these trends hold, Trump could be looking at a landslide loss in November.
As the saying goes, “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness” (James 3:6). Now his very legacy is at stake, and his NABJ meltdown may be the tipping point that sends his reputation into an irreversible nosedive. The twice-impeached president has already faced a slew of investigations and lawsuits, from the January 6 insurrection to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. If there is any justice in this world (and with our right-tilted Supreme Court, that’s a huge if) in this world, the American people will look back on this moment as the final, squalid act in the tragedy of Donald Trump.