Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have locked in several more media sit-downs since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket in July.
Most notably, Harris is set to participate in a discussion with the National Association of Black Journalists, according to a statement released by the organization Thursday morning. The vice president’s appearance could come as soon as next week, per the Hill, and, should no interview come before it, would mark the second time she has sat down with a news organization since July 21.
NABJ is in talks with the Harris campaign to finalize details to conduct an interview with @NABJ panelists before an audience of our members this month. As details are confirmed, we’ll soon make announcements with date/location, in-person/virtual access. https://t.co/a1HMhHT2jA pic.twitter.com/L9Z01hAgHX
— #NABJ Headquarters
(@NABJ) September 12, 2024
Harris’s first interview came at the end of August when she spoke with CNN, with her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), joining her for the highly anticipated media sit-down.
Harris’s decision to face the group of black journalists comes after her chief rival, former President Donald Trump, made an appearance at the NABJ convention in July. The vice president tried to appear at the convention too, albeit virtually, a request the NAJB turned down.
Trump’s appearance with the NABJ sparked controversy, with critics of the former president upset he was given a platform with the organization and Trump angry at how he was treated. The interview went off the rails from the first question.
“You have used words like animal and rabid to describe black district attorneys. You’ve attacked black journalists calling them a loser. … Why should black voters trust you after you have used language like that?” ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, first question,” Trump replied.
The interview went downhill from there, with Trump coming under fire for comments he made about Harris’s biracial identity. The vice president is of mixed Indian and Jamaican ancestry.
When questioned if he thought Harris was only on the Democratic ticket “because she is a black woman,” Trump told the NABJ he wasn’t sure if she was black or Indian.
“She was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. 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 asked.
After his comments sparked backlash, Trump posted photos of Harris in traditional Indian garb to his Truth Social account. During his first debate with Harris on Tuesday evening, ABC moderators questioned him about his NABJ comments again.
Trump told them he “could care less” about her racial identity.
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“All I can say is I read where she was not black, that she put out. And, I’ll say that. And then I read that she was black. And that’s OK. Either one was OK with me. That’s up to her,” he said.
The NABJ faced fierce criticism for giving Trump a platform to address minority voters. Infighting among the group of black journalists appeared to prompt the resignation of Karen Attiah, the then-co-chairwoman of the NABJ convention.
