The National Association of Black Journalists individually interviewed presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris leading up to the election. These interviews led to public discourse, with criticism of Trump’s misleading statements about Harris’ racial identity.
Gregory Lee, former NABJ national president and chapter faculty advisor of the chapter, offered this response to both Trump’s interview and Harris’s interview.
“Being a part of the NABJ, they invite the presidential candidates every election year to answer questions from esteemed journalists to address issues that aren’t commonly asked as well as general questions,” Lee said.
The organization uses the interview to get involved in the election conversation, especially as it pertains to the Black community and reaching Black voters, he said. Lee said he believes both events were a testament to that and brought a lot of attention to NABJ’s organization.
Trump’s July interview in Chicago at the National NABJ Convention received public attention in comparison to Vice President Kamala Harris’s September interview in Philadelphia.
After Trump’s “Black jobs” comment in his debate with President Biden, some suspect he agreed to the interview to “clean up” his comment that may have upset potential Black voters. On the other hand, Harris, who identifies as Black and Indian, opens up more about her identity and talks about how that shouldn’t affect anyone’s decision in regards to where they cast their vote.
However, in most of Harris’s recent interviews, including the debate on Sept.10, she has redirected questions that journalists have about Trump’s racial comments to instead put focus on her plan for America. In her interview with NABJ, Harris says that she understands the power of the platform the debate gave her.
“When you have that kind of microphone in front of you, you really ought to understand how much your words have meaning,” Harris said.
In the NABJ interview, Harris answers a lot of major questions that many Black voters have about the upcoming election.
NABJ Journalist Garren Keith Gaynor asked Harris her response to some Black men endorsing former president Trump. Harris answered by stating that she is working hard to earn the vote of everyone, not just black men.
“I have often been asked this question in a way where I have had to respond by first saying that I think it is very important to not operate from the assumption that black men are just in anybody’s pocket,” she said. “Black men are like any other voting group, you’ve got to earn their vote, so I’m working to earn the vote, not assuming I have it because I am black.”
Harris said that she wants people to recognize that her policy and her perspective understand what they must do to recognize the needs of communities and that she intends to be a president for every American.
In Harris’ interview with NABJ, she addressed Black voters and said not to assume Black voters will vote for her because she is Black.
Alyssa Jones, sophomore and member of Loyola NABJ, responded by saying that you shouldn’t assume that Black people will vote for Vice President Harris just because she is Black. Jones said she is voting for the candidate whose values align with her.
“I am voting for Kamala because of her views and her morals and what connects to me,” Jones said.
