That is an 11 minute super cut of the most outrageous moments of Trump’s appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists yesterday. He only stayed for half an hour until his team stepped in and ended the interview, it was that bad.
I think he was startled by the questions because he is so rarely put on the spot by journalists (Tapper and Bash for example) and doesn’t know how to smoothly respond. And he’s been in his MAGA bubble so long that he’s persuaded himself that Black people actually love him.
Earlier, Tom surveyed some of the responses to Trump’s weird and disturbing racist responses to questions put before him. Most were shocked and appalled. I was curious about how Republicans responded and according to Axios they were “reeling.”
“It was awful,” one House Republican said of the interview, telling Axios it raised concerns about whether Trump can contain his impulses while running against the first woman, Black and Asian American vice president.
Sen Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said of the Trump campaign: “Maybe they don’t know how to handle the campaign, and so you default to issues that just should simply not be an issue.”
“That was not a demonstration on how to win over undecided voters,” another House Republican said.
Senate candidate Larry Hogan of Maryland piped up too but note that only two had the guts to put their names to it. Most wouldn’t comment at all when asked.
This has probably marked the end of the attempt by GOP leadership to persuade their people not to attack Harris on race and gender. Speaker Mike Johnson told his people to refrain from doing it the other day and others made statements to the press declaring their intention not to do so:
Trump’s performance all but shredded an effort by Republican leaders to stop their party from going after Harris’ identity, including by calling her a “DEI hire,” as several House Republicans have done.
“I think the better approach is to focus on their policies of Kamala Harris … that’s what I’ve been talking about,” said Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the Senate GOP’s campaign chief.
“To be focusing on on anyone’s race or gender when there are plenty of things to talk about on the issues that voters actually care about is frustrating for a lot of us,” said a third House Republican.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said it is “not a great idea for either of the parties to be playing racial identity politics.”
Trump can’t help himself. This is who he is. That goes all the way back to the 70s and 80s when he was sued for racial discrimination and demanded that innocent Black kids be given the death penalty. It’s not a mystery, And he believes he won the 2016 election because he wasn’t afraid to be a crude, angry sexist and racist white guy standing up for “Real Americans.” His political rise was fueled by birtherism, after all. He believes it’s his super power.
And the campaign is rolling with it:
Trump’s remarks on Wednesday’s panel weren’t a one-off. His campaign, for now at least, seems to be leaning in. Trump followed up by posting a 2019 video of Harris discussing her Indian heritage with Indian-American actress Mindy Kaling, labeling Harris a “stone cold phony.” At his rally hours later in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Trump campaign displayed a Business Insider headline recognizing Harris as the first Indian-American elected to the Senate. Speaking before Trump, lawyer and Trump adviser Alina Habba said: “Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are.”
But leave it to the epic shape-shifter JD Vance to be the least self-aware person in the GOP:
“So what he said, I thought it was hysterical,” Vance said. “I think he pointed out the fundamental chameleon-like nature of Kamala Harris. And you guys saw yesterday, she was in Georgia, and she put on a southern accent for a Georgia audience. She grew up in Vancouver. What the hell is going on here? She is not who she pretends to be.”
“I know you are Kamala, but what am I” Vance added.
It was a train wreck but one that will benefit Trump with his base. If nothing else, he’s back in the spotlight which is the only thing that makes him feel alive.