Criticism, backlash erupt over Donald Trump's appearance at NABJ convention

Former President Donald Trump will speak at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention in Chicago Wednesday, drawing criticism from people planning to attend the event.

Trump will be in conversation with ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott, FOX News anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba, NABJ announced Monday evening.

“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," NABJ President Ken Lemon said according to a press release.

The Trump campaign confirmed the appearance in a statement claiming he has accomplished more for the Black community than any other president. His appearance comes after June polling show Trump didn't gain much ground among Black voters before President Joe Biden dropped out, and Vice President Kamala Harris' first week as the presumptive nominee drummed up a lot of excitement among other Black organizations.

For some Black journalists, the decision to allow him to speak was "tone deaf," as they say Trump has done harm for Chicago and the Black community.

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Vice President Kamala Harris also invited to speak at NABJ

Trump has been invited to speak at the NABJ in the past. In 2016, he declined an invitation but Hillary Clinton made an appearance at the NABJ and National Association of Hispanic Journalists annual conference in Washington, D.C.

Harris also received an invitation to the 2024 conference, according to the organization's release, but her participation has not yet been confirmed.

Former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have also appeared at NABJ conventions in the past.

“We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most,” Lemon said in the release.

Trump has long made Chicago a political 'punching bag'

When Morgan Elise Johnson, publisher of The Triibe a Black-owned Chicago publication, heard the news late Monday night, questions immediately began swirling about the timing of and thought process behind the decision. She said the late night announcement made her feel like the organization was "moving in a way that was disingenuous.”

“I don't really know what NABJ hopes to get out of this event,” Johnson said. “I do not expect that what they will get is the truth out of Donald Trump's mouth.”

Though the costs of attending the convention is “pretty astronomical,” Johnson said she was planning on attending some NABJ events. But Monday’s announcement raised safety concerns for her given that Trump was recently the target of an attempted assassination and the city’s resources are already stretched thin hosting the music festival Lollapalooza and preparing for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

In addition to the already chaotic atmosphere, she noted that Trump is not likely to be well received in the city after “using Chicago as a punching bag in his political stump speeches.”

“So, would I have invited Donald Trump? No...” she said. “I think the Black press needs to operate in the way that we always have, which is to protect Black people.”

For Ernest Owens, president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, the announcement was unsurprising. Owens, the Philadelphia editor at Eater and editor at large for Philadelphia Magazine, has been critical of NABJ in the past for what he described as a lack of transparency, pointing to Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah’s statement on X as the latest example. 

Attiah said Tuesday she “was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format" and she has decided to step down as co-chair of the convention.

“Just because you can do something don't mean you should do something, and they have just not been with the times,” Owens said of the NABJ. “The idea of treating and normalizing Trump like he's just a regular presidential candidate, and not recognizing how detrimental and harmful he's been to not only the Black community, but to the Black press, is just a tone deaf decision.”

Owens, who is no longer an NABJ member, was not going to attend the conference and said he doesn't plan to watch the livestream of the Trump event calling it a “waste of time and resources.” He recalled that past conventions were a source of joy and positivity, but Trump’s presence will likely put a damper on that atmosphere.

“Trump loves to dishearten and upset Black people, whether they're journalists, whether they're athletes, whether they're activists,” he said. “He likes to create this kind of chaos, and he's succeeded in that.” 

Event will be livestreamed, for those who want to watch

However, Robin Ayers, a radio host at Tavis Smiley’s KBLA 1580, wasn’t planning on attending the convention until she heard Trump was planning to speak. Ayers said she is not an NABJ member and this would be her first time attending the conference.

Though she understands what prompted the backlash from Black journalists, she said so long as Trump is held accountable for any false statements she’s “not mad at giving him a platform.” One way this could be achieved, she suggested, is through live fact checking.

“There's value in hearing him out on things that we care about,” she said. “So the fact that he's actually going to be present with Black journalists is actually a pretty big deal, if they go about this the right way.”

USA TODAY reached out to the Trump campaign and NABJ for further comment. Trump's Q&A is scheduled for noon central time Wednesday, will be live streamed on NABJ YouTube and Facebook pages.

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