"I didn't know she was Black."
July 31, 2024 12:37 PM Subscribe

Donald Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists (PBS, C-SPAN, The Hill, Axios, USA Today, NYT, Chicago Sun-Times, Politifact)
posted by box (333 comments total) 40 users marked this as a favorite

That was some weird shit.
posted by mazola at 12:41 PM on July 31 [86 favorites]

How many times a day do you think Trump's campaign manager thinks about stepping into fucking traffic? Ballpark. Over/under of about fourteen?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:41 PM on July 31 [72 favorites]

In the interest of scrupulous accuracy, what Trump actually said was:

“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?”

For context, he said this in response to a journalist who asked him to comment on other Republicans describing Harris as "a DEI hire".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:43 PM on July 31 [42 favorites]

You know, there are several stories like this [CNN] about the NBJA facing backlash, but in a way it's genius? The amount of offensive, incoherent, enraging, and just plain stupid sound bites we got is truly impressive!
posted by Glinn at 12:45 PM on July 31 [25 favorites]

She went to a Historically Black University. She joined a Black Sorority. Plus you can claim BOTH heritages, right? There's nothing wrong with claiming to be being both Black and Indian. So many in the Caribbean are.

I am sure this was some internal polling nonsense that Trump is spouting. Barack Obama was subjected to this same nonsense if I recall.
posted by indianbadger1 at 12:47 PM on July 31 [57 favorites]

He's trying to show that he's throwing red meat to his base, but for an event that was billed on expanding his reach to Black voters, it's about as big a disaster as you could hope for. The more he feels he has to shore up his base, the more disgusted everyone else is going to get.
posted by rikschell at 12:48 PM on July 31 [20 favorites]

(Uggh, my post got the name of the group wrong--it's the National Association of Black Journalists. Sincerest apologies.)
posted by box at 12:48 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

I am sure this was some internal polling nonsense that Trump is spouting. Barack Obama was subjected to this same nonsense if I recall.

Wasn't some of it also from Trump?

And of course you can claim both, I just find it profoundly stupid on Trump's part to be responding to a question about "can you comment on the DEI hire insinuation" with a whole ramble about "gosh is she changing what she says her race is to win over voters? Mercy me!"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:49 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

What's strange about this is, there's no upside for Trump. You could hear him stumping a bit during some of the questions but...this isn't the audience for that, and his supporters aren't watching this (they might get snippets on Fox or OAN or whatever), so why on earth would his campaign agree to it?

I think there was probably a misstep here on some level, but so much of what Trump does (in fairness all politicians now, but Trump especially) is also designed to court outrage that his campaign can turn into fundraising hits. ("we won't be silenced" blah blah)
posted by AndrewInDC at 12:51 PM on July 31 [9 favorites]

(Uggh, my post got the name of the group wrong--it's the National Association of Black Journalists. Sincerest apologies.)
oops I used that too!
posted by Glinn at 12:53 PM on July 31

Probably prophetic:

Tomorrow's @nytimes.com headline: "Was Trump's Feisty Appearance at Black Journalists' Convention Enough to Set Rumors of Racial Bias to Rest?" [@stevesilberman | Mastodon]
posted by mazola at 12:56 PM on July 31 [37 favorites]

'Weird' Trump hates being laughed at. So Harris is laughing
posted by chavenet at 12:56 PM on July 31 [13 favorites]

I am so glad I never became a journalist, even though I was pushed to. The headlines are blazing this entirely dumbass and predictable event, getting people on both sides angry and stressed, which would not have happened if only an American had won a medal in the Olympic men's gymnastics all-around.
posted by Melismata at 12:56 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

She went to a Historically Black University. She joined a Black Sorority. Plus you can claim BOTH heritages, right? There's nothing wrong with claiming to be being both Black and Indian. So many in the Caribbean are.

Not to mention that she's the daughter of the first Black scholar to receive tenure at Stanford's Department of Economics, as well as the sister of the first Jamaican-American to head the ACLU of Northern California. Which would make it very surprising indeed if she only "became Black" in the last several years.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:57 PM on July 31 [46 favorites]

I think there was probably a misstep here on some level.

[From the Harris thread]

If you watch, say, the C-Span feed of the entire Trump interview, Rachel Scott starts by saying: "We so appreciate your giving us an hour of your time."

36 minutes later, she says, as someone tries to ask a question about Project 2025, "I think we have to leave it there -- by the Trump team -- so that is the last word." Even Trump seems surprised.

Apparently, his team pulled him out early, so someone was awake!
posted by The Bellman at 12:57 PM on July 31 [75 favorites]

I mean the answer to "Does Trump hate and disrespect Black people" was never exactly in doubt. But to emblazon it so boldly at a Black Journalism event is ... certainly a choice.
posted by rikschell at 12:59 PM on July 31 [53 favorites]

Tomorrow's @nytimes.com headline: "Was Trump's Feisty Appearance at Black Journalists' Convention Enough to Set Rumors of Racial Bias to Rest?"

[Ron Howard voice] It wasn't.
posted by PlusDistance at 1:01 PM on July 31 [18 favorites]

Tomorrow's @nytimes.com headline: "Was Trump's Feisty Appearance at Black Journalists' Convention Enough to Set Rumors of Racial Bias to Rest?

The actual current NYT headline: "Trump Questions Harris’s Black Identity in Combative Interview." The brief update includes "The audience gasped and scoffed at times as he repeated falsehoods about his record and court cases in response to questions..."
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:04 PM on July 31 [17 favorites]

Tomorrow's @nytimes.com headline: "Was Trump's Feisty Appearance at Black Journalists' Convention Enough to Set Rumors of Racial Bias to Rest?"

NYT is currently running the full clip (the full question and his answer, with subtitles and everything) on their home page, next to a headline that reads "Trump Questions Harris’s Black Identity in Combative Interview"

I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings though.
posted by anastasiav at 1:05 PM on July 31 [9 favorites]

Not the White men outside the convention having more sense than the National Association of Black Journalists. They changed the lyrics to 'They Not Like Us' to 'Trump's Not Like Us.
posted by cashman at 1:06 PM on July 31 [8 favorites]

Boston Globe headline is currently "Donald Trump falsely questions Kamala Harris’s race at Black journalists’ convention." I don't even know what that means.
posted by Melismata at 1:07 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

"a lot of the journalists in this room are black," trump says to the national association of black journalists conference

Fact Check: True!
posted by funkaspuck at 1:08 PM on July 31 [73 favorites]

Someone in the other thread mentioned Bulworth so I assume he started rapping at some point.
posted by Artw at 1:09 PM on July 31 [9 favorites]

Apparently, his team pulled him out early, so someone was awake!

Woke, even?
posted by kirkaracha at 1:09 PM on July 31 [16 favorites]

What a fuckin' loon.
posted by dobbs at 1:10 PM on July 31 [22 favorites]

Alt headline, evergreen: Man who believes a person's intelligence and success is a function of their proportion of white ancestry and praises his own "superior German blood" makes multiple weird statements about his mixed race woman political rival.
posted by seraphine at 1:11 PM on July 31 [11 favorites]

The best thing about this interview was Trump finally being held to account (if ever so briefly) and watching him melt down live on television.

The second best thing about this was hearing that lone clapper in the audience who was desperately trying and utterly failing to generate spontaneous applause when Trump uttered some of his lines.

How pathetic and sad to be the one person in the audience who's shouting "boo-urns".
posted by RonButNotStupid at 1:12 PM on July 31 [54 favorites]

Great to see some straightforward pushback from (at least some of) the panel! More of this, please:

Trump: Look, i think the Democrat party is really the one that has the problem. I think they are radical on abortion because they are allowing abortion in the ninth month. They are allowing the death of a baby after the baby is born.

Journalist: Sir, that is illegal in every state. Illegal in every state in the country.

Trump: After it is born they are allowing abortions.

Journalist: That's insane.

The ending pretty much sums it up:

Trump: Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. A great honor. [booing]

(sorry for the lack of names; I hate listening to Trump, so I'm going off of the C-SPAN transcript)
posted by jedicus at 1:14 PM on July 31 [51 favorites]

So good to see a fascist punch himself in the mouth, even if rhetorically.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:15 PM on July 31 [10 favorites]

Fuckin' weirdo
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:16 PM on July 31 [28 favorites]

Trump: Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. A great honor. [booing]

Paired with a Black Power salute.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:17 PM on July 31 [11 favorites]

Plus you can claim BOTH heritages, right?

This is nonsensical to someone like Trump who believes there is only one right (white) way to be.
posted by solotoro at 1:19 PM on July 31 [10 favorites]

I know white supremacists are generally not much of a brain trust, but his utter inability to imagine that someone’s family tree might have more than one branch is…downright Habsburgian.
posted by armeowda at 1:21 PM on July 31 [50 favorites]

Why does he keep going back to something about the Virginia governor with the after-9-months thing? Is there a story there that he's, like, incapable of actually telling coherently? I was trying to understand that bit during the interview but it was so tangential and hard to follow.
posted by mittens at 1:21 PM on July 31 [8 favorites]

This I suspect
posted by brook horse at 1:23 PM on July 31 [11 favorites]

Man who believes a person's intelligence and success is a function of their proportion of white ancestry and praises his own "superior German blood" makes multiple weird statements about his mixed race woman political rival.

Really? I couldn't find him making a claim of "superior German blood," and in fact he has previously claimed to be of Swedish rather than German heritage. Really, with so much to criticize (I mean, just yesterday he said his opponent, married to a Jewish man, doesn't like Jewish people), there's no need to make anything up.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:24 PM on July 31 [6 favorites]

Quoting darkstar, from the Harris thread:

RE Trump’s current interview, it makes me wish that once, just once, an interviewer would say something like:

“Okay, I think it’s important to take a moment to pause, just to note for our viewers that over the past few minutes, Mr. Trump has told several outright lies, absolutely demonstrably proven falsehoods, in a breathtaking Gish Gallop of mendacity. We could continue on with this interview, but at this point, it would be a disservice to the Truth and to our Democracy to continue platforming this shameless, toxic bullshit peddler. Our viewers would be far better off spending the next 20 minutes petting their cats, playing with their dogs, giving their loved ones a hug, and then making sure their voting registration is up to date.”

Of course, saying something like that would be “bad journalism”, but it sure would be good civic-mindedness.

And so entertaining to see!
posted by Rash at 1:26 PM on July 31 [33 favorites]

MetaFilter: Thank you, everybody. A great honor. [booing]
posted by The Bellman at 1:36 PM on July 31 [109 favorites]

Those interviewers are the true gold medal winners
posted by gottabefunky at 1:36 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

As far as Trump's campaign manager goes, while I can't discount the possibility that they're just totally clueless and have been living under a rock for the past 8 years, but I think it's reasonable to assume they're familiar with Trump and have taken the job for the money, hopes of advancement, etc and know damn well that there is no way they can actually run it like a real campaign.

Trump will win, or lose, based entirely on him being Trump and all that entails. Anyone who imagines they can control him or make him take a different approach is either delusional or foolhardy.

Given the propensity for grift on the right, I assume that the campaign manager (Chris LaCivita I think?) is in it for all the networking, name reognition, and money that he can get and isn't doing anything that even slightly resembles a traditional campaign manager job.
posted by sotonohito at 1:36 PM on July 31 [14 favorites]

He seemed really bothered by that first question. I'm glad he clarified that he wasn't.
posted by dobbs at 1:38 PM on July 31 [10 favorites]

I would love a Harris response along the lines of,

“You know I’ve been aware of Donald Trump for many years — we all have. Didn’t he use to be a pathetic, racist, real-estate hustler with multiple bankruptcies, and a bad haircut? And then a few years ago he suddenly was a “successful businessman”? Didn’t he even claim to be a billionaire? But he kept the bad haircut! Why is he SO weird?”
posted by wabbittwax at 1:45 PM on July 31 [69 favorites]

I mean, no one asks, "Is Donald Trump an asshole who tried to overthrow the US government or is he a guy who launched a hush money conspiracy," we all kind of know those aren't exclusive categories.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:51 PM on July 31 [43 favorites]

It recommended Trump learn to read a room, but y'know...

Slightly more seriously the media (will not) and the electorate (should do!) should be on this like a terrier on a rat. This is racism at its most base and and the idea that the accusation of racism is an affront comparable to the act itself is the rat in this metaphor.
posted by East14thTaco at 1:51 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

I wish, at the point where he went off about Harris “turning Black”, the moderator had asked “so, how does racial inheritance work, Mr. Trump?”

Because that would’ve given us the most entertainingly unhinged answer I could imagine.
posted by Jon_Evil at 1:54 PM on July 31 [31 favorites]

Given the propensity for grift on the right, I assume that the campaign manager (Chris LaCivita I think?) is in it for all the networking, name reognition, and money that he can get and isn't doing anything that even slightly resembles a traditional campaign manager job.

Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles are both co-managing the Trump campaign. Tim Alberta profiled both of them in his now historical Atlantic article about the Trump campaign preparing for "a landslide win" in the run up to the RNC.

A thing to know about LaCivita -- he invented swift-boating. He is a major reason why John Kerry lost to George W Bush in 2004. He was instrumental in race smearing Mandela Barnes to help Ron Johnson win re-election in 2022. The man does not need his reputation burnished. He already has a queue of Republican candidates who want to hire him. He's basically the final boss of Republican campaign managers.

Which makes his powerlessness in the wake of JD Vance being falsely called a couchfucker so. fucking. delicious. Reap what you've sown.

Notice how we talked about Florida as a gettable swing state in 2020, but have stopped doing that this cycle? That's Susie Wiles. Her main thing was convincing Republicans to appeal to the anti-socialist instincts of Florida's Latino population and get the Republicans to be a little less racist. Biden losing a lot of young men of color is her work.

She's the one I'm worried about.
posted by bl1nk at 1:56 PM on July 31 [86 favorites]

I’m surprised to see him going against his base like this, I was pretty sure the KKK was a supporter of the “one-drop” rule.
posted by corb at 1:59 PM on July 31 [14 favorites]

Slightly more seriously the media (will not) and the electorate (should do!) should be on this like a terrier on a rat.

Media-wise... It's all over the place as of right now.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:00 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

Ahh… the “is she black?” stuff is there for surrogates to start some birther style nonsense with, because of course it is.
posted by Artw at 2:02 PM on July 31 [6 favorites]

The Empire always tries to build another Death Star. It never ends up working out.
posted by rikschell at 2:05 PM on July 31 [18 favorites]

He is a major reason why John Kerry lost to George W Bush in 2004.

Well...I kinda think the biggest reason why John Kerry lost to George W. Bush in 2004 was John Kerry being about as exciting as a bowl of cold oatmeal.
posted by senor biggles at 2:06 PM on July 31 [29 favorites]

Harris campaign responds to Trump NABJ interview: 'A taste of chaos and division' [The Guardian]

Kamala Harris’s campaign team has released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s combative NABJ interview:
The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people.

Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.

Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s Maga rallies this entire campaign. It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as vice-president Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans. All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10.

posted by mazola at 2:08 PM on July 31 [80 favorites]

The emoji of the wide-eyed stare is the only thing I can find appropriate rn
posted by Kitteh at 2:08 PM on July 31 [6 favorites]

I love the Harris response. Focus on the message, not the implied accusation. Brilliant. Say it to her face indeed.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:14 PM on July 31 [31 favorites]

Again the directness is VERY refreshing.
posted by Artw at 2:15 PM on July 31 [24 favorites]

That's Susie Wiles. Her main thing was convincing Republicans to appeal to the anti-socialist instincts of Florida's Latino population and get the Republicans to be a little less racist. Biden losing a lot of young men of color is her work.

She's the one I'm worried about.

Although a note of hope is that per that Atlantic article she did this the old school way, going out and knocking on doors and setting up meetings in local communities, which is exactly what the Trump campaign has defunded in favor of paying his legal fees and setting up "election watchers." So the campaign isn't really using her skills and experience properly.
posted by soundguy99 at 2:21 PM on July 31 [25 favorites]

Speaking of ... birther style nonsense...
Doesn't anyone care that Trump was born in Jamaica??
posted by MtDewd at 2:26 PM on July 31 [19 favorites]

I also like this snippet in the NYT Livestream where they talk to Trump campaign staff about the "DEI candidate smear" and the official position was "we're not going there." There must be a lot of 'welps' and facepalms and upside smiley face emojis in Trump campaign HQ this afternoon.
posted by bl1nk at 2:28 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

“I don’t think Joe Biden has a ton of advantages,” Wiles told me on Super Tuesday. “But I do think Democrats do.”
...
The mentality of this Trump campaign, LaCivita once told me, is to spend every day on offense. The team wants to shape the pace and substance of every news cycle and force Democrats to react, ensuring that key battles are fought on the GOP’s chosen terrain. It worked so well that Biden was ruined before his party’s convention. Now the Trump operation is vowing to destroy Harris—if, in fact, she becomes the nominee—in much the same way.

And yet, for a campaign that went to bed Saturday believing that it would dictate the terms of the election every day until November 5, Sunday brought an unfamiliar feeling of powerlessness. For the first time in a long time, Trump does not control the narrative of 2024.

posted by kirkaracha at 2:30 PM on July 31 [19 favorites]

CHICAGO (The Borowitz Report)—Boasting that he has “still got it,” on Wednesday Donald J. Trump brought Sen. JD Vance’s streak of saying the day’s most idiotic things to an abrupt end.

Trump said that his running mate’s formidable streak of ignorant remarks was “very much on my mind” when he sat down for his interview at the convention of the National Association of Black Journalists.

“JD is very talented when it comes to offending millions of people, but I needed to show that I was still the undisputed champion,” Trump said. “When he said that thing about childless cat ladies, I said to myself, ‘Hold my beer.’”

For his part, Vance praised Trump for his racist comments at the NABJ gathering, asserting, “I have so much to learn from him.”
posted by doctornemo at 2:38 PM on July 31 [28 favorites]

she says, as someone tries to ask a question about Project 2025, "I think we have to leave it there -- by the Trump team -- so that is the last word."

They pulled the plug the instant Project 2025 came up.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:39 PM on July 31 [41 favorites]

How many times a day do you think Trump's campaign manager thinks about stepping into fucking traffic? Ballpark. Over/under of about fourteen?

Nah. By now, anyone taking that job has to be a faithful, 100-yard-stare, true-believer. There’s no other way to survive a single day otherwise.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:46 PM on July 31 [14 favorites]

They pulled the plug the instant Project 2025 came up.

That's the wizard behind the curtain. Most voters have no idea how pre-sold conservative victories are due to the nature of the corporate funding and ROI. They are desperate to keep it that way.
posted by Brian B. at 2:51 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

SNL predicted it (sort of).
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 2:51 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

.
posted by seraphine at 2:52 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

It would be nice if American newspapers had the journalistic integrity to run a headline like the Guardian has:

Trump condemned for questioning Harris' identity after ex-president lies repeatedly in heated interview with Black journalists - live

screencap here - it's since been changed to this after the event ended:

Harris campaign calls Trump’s heated interview with Black journalists ‘a taste of chaos and division’ – live
posted by tzikeh at 2:55 PM on July 31 [11 favorites]

Roy Wood Jr: We now know Kamala’s brave story. When did the rest of you “turn” black? How old were you? Where were you when the blackness finally took over your body? Share your stories. This is a safe space. #WhenITurnedBlack
posted by cashman at 3:03 PM on July 31 [70 favorites]

I think the Harris campaign should double down on the "weird" messaging.

Video opens w/candidate Harris.
Harris: Dubai's Trump has some weird ideas about race.
Video clip of Trump: She just turned Black recently
Slideshow of adorable photos of Harris as a little girl.
v/o Harris: Here I am at two, as you can see, i was Black even then. This is me age five with my dad, were booth Black. In this one, I'm seven. Still Black. etc.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 3:04 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

Borowitz still exists? I thought Alexander Petri made him kinda redundant...
posted by Sauce Trough at 3:05 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

I think the Harris campaign should hire Amber Ruffin.
posted by box at 3:05 PM on July 31 [30 favorites]

Who the fuck is advising Trump? Rachel Dolezal?
posted by essexjan at 3:07 PM on July 31 [41 favorites]

Sauce Trough - After he was released by the New Yorker, I think Andy Borowitz got a minor league contract.
posted by lukemeister at 3:09 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

Nah. By now, anyone taking that job has to be a faithful, 100-yard-stare, true-believer. There’s no other way to survive a single day otherwise

Your parents didn't really care who you'd be working for. From the moment your education began you were going to be the Ivy(ish)-league Federalist Society intern for whatever Republican campaign happened to be on the menu at the time of your graduation. Congratulations kid! You lucked into Donald fucking Trump! You're 24. Trump isn't. He's an idiot. Everyone knows it. But how would you explain it at Christmas if you left?
posted by East14thTaco at 3:09 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

CheeseDigestsAll, I'm not sure the responding to things he said and keeping his words in the media is the best. Although I do love your ad and would watch it many times.
posted by Snowishberlin at 3:10 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

Cheese nevermind, I saw your post in the other. I am not a political expert /shrug/
posted by Snowishberlin at 3:12 PM on July 31

...while I can't discount the possibility that they're just totally clueless and have been living under a rock for the past 8 years, but I think it's reasonable to assume they're familiar with Trump and have taken the job for the money,

I mean, unless you got the money up-front, you have to have been under a rock if you think Trump pays anyone.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:17 PM on July 31 [9 favorites]

Was it yesterday TFG was expressing concern about Harris dealing with foreign leaders? He can't last an hour with a panel of American journalists.
posted by mersen at 3:18 PM on July 31 [13 favorites]

Not that anyone has ever doubted that Trump is a racist, but I’m kinda wondering if this wasn’t his “macaca” moment when he spouted that “she was Indian American but then she became black” nonsense.

Well, that was a direct insult, with nothing more to it. This is a more cynical attack that she is either lying about her self-identity, or is at least has split loyalties that make her not trustworthy enough to vote for just because of a perceived shared background. Recall "he was for it before he was against it?" Similar logic, and I don't imagine Trump will lose voters over it; it's not like you or me get to vote against him twice now or something.
posted by pwnguin at 3:23 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

National Review headline: "That Did Not Go Well"
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:29 PM on July 31 [22 favorites]

National Review's piece on the interview is titled That Did Not Go Well.

(no link because it's not worth reading beyond that)
posted by Sauce Trough at 3:29 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

I think there’s the real possibility that he has confused Harris and Haley.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:33 PM on July 31 [70 favorites]

You know, I think that could be a valid line of attack, to keep their campaign on the defensive:

"I'm not sure what he meant by that. Maybe he confused the Vice President with Governor Haley? He's confused Speaker Pelosi with Governor Haley before too, so it's not unprecedented. But I mean, he's from a different era where women weren't commonly seen to hold powerful positions. It's quite possible he has trouble creating distinctions between the powerful women he comes in contact with." etc.
posted by donttouchmymustache at 3:42 PM on July 31 [16 favorites]

Mother Jones: White Man Tells Black Journalists His Black Opponent Is Not Black
posted by gottabefunky at 3:49 PM on July 31 [32 favorites]

FWIW, some Black journalists were furious at the NABJ for giving Trump a platform. The local HBCU-owned radio station has a talk show and the host spent most of her show yesterday interviewing people who were outraged at the event, which they said would just give a known racist a "look I'm not racist I'm in a room with Black people!" photo op. Folks like Black trans activist Raquel Willis canceled their scheduled appearances. I thought they were right yesterday. I'll watch the event and see if that changes my mind.
posted by mediareport at 3:51 PM on July 31 [10 favorites]

OMG I just saw what he said about JD Vance in the interview. Upon being asked if Vance would be “ready on day 1” to assume the presidency, he responded:

“I think this is well documented historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. No impact.”
posted by mr_roboto at 3:53 PM on July 31 [16 favorites]

Mother Jones article picture

Wait, he really did a black power salute when he left? Jeez.
posted by Mitheral at 3:54 PM on July 31 [6 favorites]

OMG I just saw what he said about JD Vance in the interview. Upon being asked if Vance would be “ready on day 1” to assume the presidency, he responded:

“I think this is well documented historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. No impact.”

This was in response to a question that specifically mentioned him almost getting shot the other day.
posted by Artw at 3:55 PM on July 31 [10 favorites]

Re VP impact: we know what his advisors have been telling him about his poor choice.
posted by Mitheral at 3:57 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

I think there’s the real possibility that he has confused Harris and Haley.

Or Harris and Usha Vance.

Or Usha Vance and Usher.
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 3:59 PM on July 31 [15 favorites]

trump really cannot resist questioning the racial bona fides of his enemies. take for example his 1993 remarks about the Mashantucket Pequot, who didn't "look" sufficiently Indigenous to him. he's a pig.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:01 PM on July 31 [24 favorites]

Trump isn't just racist, isn't just questioning where people are from, he explicitly believes in eugenics. He believes in winning genes, that some people have them and some people don't, and is proud of his german blood, and has said so.

https://www.salon.com/2023/12/18/echoes-hitler--and-maga-hears-it-loud-and-clear/
posted by Chrysopoeia at 4:10 PM on July 31 [17 favorites]

Trump self-immolates at NABJ: a supercut (11 minutes, put together by the amazing Aaron Rupar)
posted by stevil at 4:14 PM on July 31 [31 favorites]

"Weird" is probably not a bad angle and has the advantage of applying to the entire alt-right-turned-mainstream-GOP.

But I kind of wish there would be more questioning of Trump's general mental competence. When he says "I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago", part of the reaction should be "What else does he not remember?" When he pronounces "Kamala" wrong, the question should be "You've heard her pronounce her own name multiple times. You've been corrected on the pronunciation multiple times. Are you pronouncing it wrong because you can't remember?"

Trump: ... They are allowing the death of a baby after the baby is born.

Journalist: Sir, that is illegal in every state. Illegal in every state in the country.

Trump: After it is born they are allowing abortions.

Journalist: ~~That's insane.~~ You sound confused. I think you're mixing some things up. You've said this before and it's been corrected before. Can you remember?

I don't like ageism and hated the "he's too old" complaint about Biden - but "he's demonstrating actual difficulty with the cognitive skills you need a head of government to demonstrate consistently" was a valid argument against Biden and it's been a valid argument against Trump since the first time he ran for president. Whether he's doing any of it on purpose or not, it's a major problem if his speech is indistinguishable from that of someone with serious cognitive impairments. (And I don't think he's actually doing most of it on purpose, though he's certainly leaning into the data-lite, free-association way his brain works.)
posted by trig at 4:18 PM on July 31 [46 favorites]

It's like the one poisoned axon still buzzing intermittently between his brain and his mouth finally burned out.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 4:19 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

National Review headline: "That Did Not Go Well"

NJ.com's headline is wonderfully pithy: Black Journalists Invite Trump to Speak, then Laugh At Him
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:20 PM on July 31 [41 favorites]

Trump now going all in on racism so I guess that’s all he’s got.
posted by Artw at 4:24 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

I was curious how Fox was covering this and since I can't work up enough masochism to try to watch any of its anchors doing their thing, I checked foxnews.com, which is usually a very toned down version of what the channel does, but still the same brand of "fair and balanced".

Anyway, here's an archive.is link. The headline at the time I checked was White House fires back after Trump answers question about Harris being called a 'DEI hire'. Subheading: White House called Trump's comments 'insulting'.

The actual article was not too bad until about 60% of the way through, when it starts with the insinuations ("In 2016, The Associated Press reported that then-California Attorney General became the first Indian-American to become a U.S. senator.
Four years later, [...] Harris was referred to as the first Black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket. [...] Harris, born in 1964 to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother [...] She has often spoken of the deep bond she shared with her mother, whom she has called her single biggest influence.")

It also randomly brings up how "Harris’ record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the 2020 Democratic primary and turned away some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of racism in the legal system and police brutality", but maybe that's an endorsement coming from Fox.
posted by trig at 4:29 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

NJ brings the sass. I love it.

From the interview:

Q: What exactly is a Black job, sir?
A: Anybody that has a job. That's what it is.

I should be done with saying "wow" by this point, but...wow.

(And thence to the usual "immigrants are coming to rape and pillage everything you love" ranting. Of course.)
posted by velvet_n_purrs at 4:30 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

Folks like Black trans activist Raquel Willis canceled their scheduled appearances. I thought they were right yesterday. I'll watch the event and see if that changes my mind.

Given that his surrogates have all picked up the “not black” birther nonsense and are running with it, in a way that suggests that this was picked as the event to roll out that line of attack, yes they were right yesterday.

Will it make a difference? Will it actually be a spectacular backfire? Hard to say.
posted by Artw at 4:31 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

NJ.com's headline is wonderfully pithy: Black Journalists Invite Trump to Speak, then Laugh At Him

Eh, that's the kind of headline both sides love. It plays completely into the persecution complex that people who like Trump absolutely believe in. (They laughed at him? How mean, how disrespectful, how liberal elitist, when they look down on the hero of real Americans they look down on us.)
posted by trig at 4:35 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

I'm inclined to think the NABJ did the right thing by having TFG on. He was not given what is normally considered a platform, that is, a way to broadcast his views in the manner that he wanted, free of criticism or pushback. Instead, he was questioned and held to account for what he said in a way he has seldom -- perhaps never? -- experienced in a journalistic setting before. This was a disaster for his campaign.
posted by orange swan at 4:36 PM on July 31 [44 favorites]

Trump self-immolates at NABJ: a supercut…

Okay, I was only able to make it through about 5 minutes of the original livestream, and what I saw made me turn it off. So I didn’t see the opening, which is captured in this supercut. Holy cow, it’s so much worse than I imagined.
posted by darkstar at 4:41 PM on July 31 [1 favorite]

Trump had a neverending string of campaign disasters during the 2016 election, many (most?) of them involving some expression of bigotry. Remember how that turned out?
posted by escape from the potato planet at 4:41 PM on July 31 [15 favorites]

He says "Black" like the guy at the South African Embassy in Lethal Weapon 2.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:41 PM on July 31 [13 favorites]

Trump is totally afraid of Black people.

As witness his scurry to the White House bunker during a DC protest in the wake of George Floyd's murder — and he went on and on to his staff about how he wanted the leaker who exposed that to be executed.

The Harris campaign could capitalize on that by connecting his cowardice in the face of the Black protesters to his fear of meeting the Black presidential candidate in a debate.

And start calling him Bunker Trump when referring to his refusal to debate
posted by jamjam at 4:41 PM on July 31 [11 favorites]

why is he calling the black community "the black population"? That's such weird phrasing.
posted by bluesky43 at 4:43 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

Can I also call Vance Meathead?
posted by box at 4:45 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

“I think this is well documented historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. No impact.”

from the National Review link:
At no point did he say “yes” to the yes-or-no question.

Follow up question- so that's a no?
posted by MtDewd at 4:46 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

Can I also call Vance Meathead?

As long as you don’t have to call him Vice President, I’ll allow it.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 4:46 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

Trump Debuts New Racist Attack on Kamala Harris at NABJ
posted by Artw at 4:47 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

I immediately thought the reply should be. “you must be mixing her up with Nikki Haley. Is your brain foggy right now? Are you ok? “ and just hammer his bad brain for a while. Easy to say, hard to do with Magic 8ball, I appreciate that.
posted by drowsy at 4:48 PM on July 31 [1 favorite]

Paired with a Black Power salute.

Same gesture after he got up immediately after the assassination attempt and yelled Fight³
posted by achrise at 4:48 PM on July 31 [1 favorite]

Definitely paying attention to which media puts “racist” in the headline, which media calls it racist in the lede or body text and which media follows The NY Times style guide and covers it up as “racially tinged” or some shit.
posted by Artw at 4:50 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

Damn the contrast between the Mother Jones article and the (atrocious) National Review article is just amazing. First and last time I will ever read a National Review article. Makes me so glad to support Mother Jones!
posted by WatTylerJr at 4:51 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

His answer to the question about whether he thinks Harris is a “DEI hire”, as some of his supporters are saying, made it absolutely obvious that he doesn’t understand what DEI means, even after he’s told what the letters stand for.

It was only when the interviewer finally reworded the question that he started to launch into his bigoted comment about how “Harris changed her race recently.”
posted by darkstar at 4:51 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

First and last time I will ever read a National Review article.

The context is that the National Review is a right-wing publication (much as Mother Jones is left-wing). It was founded by William F. Buckley in the 50s and has traditionally provided a veneer of intellectualism for American conservative viewpoints. That said, the editorial board has been Trump-skeptical since the beginning of his political career, so it's not too surprising seeing them publish a broadly negative take on this event.
posted by mr_roboto at 4:59 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

This would be an amazing week for SNL to do a new Black Jeopardy.
posted by Riki tiki at 5:00 PM on July 31 [30 favorites]

TFG as a contestant on SNL's Black Jeopardy? Oh God, I have to see that.
posted by orange swan at 5:16 PM on July 31 [10 favorites]

His answer to the question about whether he thinks Harris is a “DEI hire”, as some of his supporters are saying, made it absolutely obvious that he doesn’t understand what DEI means, even after he’s told what the letters stand for.

Which is interesting, since the right has been actively railing against "DEI" for a few years now; it's one of their bogeyman terms, like "woke". (I mean, see the whole "DEI hire" thing.) I don't know how often it's uttered on Fox News on an average day, but I'd bet it's a fair amount.

It's also a term used and discussed across the nation for years, and you'd think someone trying to be a leader of said nation ought to have their finger on enough of the national pulse to be aware of it. Being so demonstrably disconnected would have been enough of a story on its own.
posted by trig at 5:19 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

"Vance Meathead" aka "The Couchfucker!"
posted by stet at 5:19 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

(If somebody were to ask him tomorrow what DEI means, he'd probably say it's about being hired when you're Black. Because that's what he apparently took away from the questioner's clarification and there's no way he's going to learn any more about it. I hope somebody does ask him, and ask him for detail.)
posted by trig at 5:21 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

Trump's campaign has claimed inroads with Black voters, and his appearance at NABJ was part of that strategy. Now all that lies in ruins.

Cue Nelson: "Haha!"
posted by hydrophonic at 5:24 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

...so why on earth would his campaign agree to it?

The same question was posed to the NABJ, for obvious reasons...
posted by Chuffy at 5:27 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

made it absolutely obvious that he doesn’t understand what DEI means

Wasn't my impression - I thought we was feigning ignorance.
posted by Rash at 5:29 PM on July 31 [8 favorites]

I agree. He knows what it is, or at least that its something he's supposed to use derisively. He just didn't want to be pinned down IMO.
posted by Golem XIV at 5:42 PM on July 31 [5 favorites]

He knows what it means and will say it with the hard R.
posted by Artw at 5:44 PM on July 31 [15 favorites]

I had to check but no surprise: "I was told my opponent would be here. It turns out my opponent is not here. You invited me under false pretenses." is a lie.
posted by achrise at 5:53 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

He said some pretty cracked things here but I think the one that takes the cake for me is Donald Trump, serial evader of the law, telling a room full of black folks "you can't have two systems of justice."
posted by phunniemee at 5:53 PM on July 31 [44 favorites]

Mr Robato. Yes very familiar with the dog whistle-y, liberals are traitorous commies, and the only true Americans are white Christians Americans NR, founded by the odious Buckley

The article wasn’t some never trumper piece, it was shitting on the black reporters and black audience with a barely concealed level of racist disdain. It was very much a ‘well bully for the brave president Trump but unfortunately he underestimated the terribleness of those same black reporters and audience’ diatribe .

In sum fuck the NR forever …
posted by WatTylerJr at 6:09 PM on July 31 [6 favorites]

1. Raquel Willis just retweeted this:

Now journalists who could spend precious time, energy and resources talking about issues like abortion access, health care, voting rights, etc have to spend time refuting 45’s talking points and explaining VP Harris’s Blackness. This decision had so many levels of fail.

2. April Ryan, White House correspondent for the Griot (and former NABJ journalist of the year who was famously told by Trump to "sit down" when she asked him a question at a press conference in 2018), says that the NABJ isn't being completely honest about its invitation process for Kamala Harris:

SCOOP: according to those (many) familiar with this situation, Tuesday am both Ken Lemon President of NABJ and Drew Berry Executive Director of the NABJ told Harris folks she “needed” to be in Chicago in person for the convention. The NABJ shut down the conversation for a virtual town hall. Only after reports of what happened were posted did the NABJ leadership feverishly begin to ask the @VP
to now consider a virtual town hall. As of yesterday afternoon @Vp
team moved on after being told “no” by NABJ leadership. The NABJ leadership even asked for a VP surrogate replacement like Megan the stallion, Oprah or Barack Obama. The NABJ’s original plan was to move on from the @VP... [emphasis mine]

Trump, of course, used the VP's absence as a cudgel before and during his appearance.

3. Also, wow, that Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner up on that stage is quite the piece of work. See how much you can sit through of her ranting about trans terrorists, god and America in this clip from November.
posted by mediareport at 6:16 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

"I was told my opponent would be here. It turns out my opponent is not here. You invited me under false pretenses." is a lie.

But the NAJB leadership is also fudging the truth, according to the April Ryan note I linked just above, which claims NAJB shut down the idea of a virtual appearance to Kamala Harris's team, until word got out, and then they tried to paint it as something they'd been working on all along.
posted by mediareport at 6:21 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

TRUMP ABORTS INTERVIEW AFTER SMART BLACK WOMEN ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS [emptywheel]

I’m an outlier about the value of the disastrous interview Donald Trump just did with three Black women journalists: Rachel Scott, Kadia Goba, and Harris Faulkner. I think the interview will help Trump reclaim the attention of the press. I think he used it to seed spurious attacks on Vice President Harris that will work to placate his dumb trolls. And I think journalists are falling into the same patterns of enabling this atrocious behavior as they have for years.

I think the only success for TFG was focusing attention back on himself (negative attention is still attention) and sucking up the oxygen that was all Harris momentum to this point (indeed, we managed to derail a Harris thread before becoming this one). Much ink and attention will be spilled on his moronic antics and that's kind of a win (and a shame).

Harris had an electric and positive speech in Atlanta (just yesterday? wtf?) along with Sen. Warnock at the same event. I hope this energy doesn't get sapped by the nonsense.
posted by mazola at 6:36 PM on July 31 [25 favorites]

The context is that the National Review is a right-wing publication

The "Against Trump" National Review?
posted by kirkaracha at 6:44 PM on July 31 [1 favorite]

It's depressing that all the news orgs are obsessing about this, and that we have 135+ comments about it right here. Just what Trump wants.

How many times must we let him jerk our chain before we just ignore him and move on?
posted by mono blanco at 6:44 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

I hope somebody does ask him, and ask him for detail.

I mean purely for entertainment purposes, sure. At this point making it clear(er) that he's stupid isn't changing anyone's opinion.
posted by axiom at 6:53 PM on July 31

https://x.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1818793785075114005

"Media: This is a test. Will you keep Trump's racism on page one for 3 weeks, demand he exit the race, press every R to comment on it, consult African American studies experts, talk to communities of color ? You know, do your job as resolutely as you did on Biden's age. Try it."

posted by cashman at 6:54 PM on July 31 [63 favorites]

Trump again called a woman, the first reporter who asked him a question, “nasty”. It’s an epithet he reserves just for women, women who challenge him. It’s creepy.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:04 PM on July 31 [56 favorites]

I'll be satisfied if major news outlets start simply calling him racist. I'm honestly not sure what else he would have to do. Show up dressed like the Grand Wizard, a burning cross in each tiny hand?
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:04 PM on July 31 [4 favorites]

Madam President, if you're nasty.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:08 PM on July 31 [39 favorites]

No way does he show up for the debate with Harris now. I'd bet money that his campaign managers were using this as a trial balloon to see if he could handle a confrontation with a black woman, and he imploded spectacularly
posted by rifflesby at 7:20 PM on July 31 [16 favorites]

No way does he show up for the debate with Harris now.

There is no way that he’s going to appear on stage with Harris or probably anywhere within 5 miles of her, because if you actually saw them together it would be clear what a decrepit old man looks like.

Trump is a salesman. There’s no way that he would trot himself out on the floor next to a shinier, newer model.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 7:25 PM on July 31 [16 favorites]

Birtherism doesn't have to make sense and trying to analyse this and similar, related attempts through a lens of rationality, conventional strategy, voter bloc outreach, etc, is doomed. It's the sine qua non of flooding the zone with shit. Nothing is true and everything is possible and desirable in this mode. Hannah Arendt wrote about how one of the precursor and maintaining conditions for totalitarianism was the abandonment of truth by politicians in such a way that the people cannot coalesce into organised resistance to the central authority, which hides behind a confusing, obscuring screen of untruth. You also have to factor in Trump's ravenous narcissism. The media has spent several days not speaking all about him and actually speaking about Harris. That was intolerable. Now everyone is speaking about him again.
posted by meehawl at 7:47 PM on July 31 [18 favorites]

There is no way that he’s going to appear on stage with Harris or probably anywhere within 5 miles of her, because if you actually saw them together it would be clear what a decrepit old man looks like.

Plan B, call him a coward, which hits him where he hurts. It's a good wedge.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:58 PM on July 31 [16 favorites]

How many times must we let him jerk our chain before we just ignore him and move on?

The question isn't "how many times", it's "how long".

And the answer is "until he's no longer a presidential candidate".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:03 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

When Biden visibly missed a step while on the spot we made his vice presidential candidate step in.

Just sayin'.
posted by East14thTaco at 8:34 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

He's baiting the media to begin clamoring for Harris to 'prove' her black heritage. Just as he baited Obama to release his birth certificate in the birther shit. I hope she doesn't fall for it and keeps on her message.

And the Washington Post rises to the occasion!:

Harris faces a pivotal moment as
Trump questions her identity

By the way, as a newsroom recruiter years ago, I've been to NABJ and other such journalism conferences. They are absolutely fantastic. Members tend to be very, very polite to guest speakers but Trump was just too much today.
posted by etaoin at 8:38 PM on July 31 [14 favorites]

How many times must we let him jerk our chain before we just ignore him and move on?

At least once more.

I get why the media freaks out about this stuff but I do get tired of the discussions here about in exactly what ways Trump is wrong.

At Trump's next public speaking event he is going to utter some more complete bullshit that will be obviously wrong in any number of ways. Some of those things will be old, some might be new but he's definitely going to wrong in a bunch of stupid ways.

I know this like I know my six year old is going to confidently tell me how something or another works and it will likewise be complete bullshit. He'll probably also explain something to me in the tone of a lecture that will be something that I taught him a few days ago.

Both Trump and my six year old with both do these similar things and I'm going to spend the same amount of time dwelling on both...not. fucking. much.
posted by VTX at 8:43 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

Watching some of the video clips, just the way he says, "until a number of years ago when she happened to turn ... black and now she wants to be known as ... black" and that fucking pause before "black" and the sneering tone of his delivery of the word you can practically see the air quotes around "black" and it's sooooooo fucking condescending and I'm sure he thought it was gonna be a big gotcha moment where the audience would get all riled up because he just busted Kamala faking being Black and hoo boy, dude, way to misread the room . . .
posted by soundguy99 at 8:50 PM on July 31 [23 favorites]

>There is no way that he’s going to appear on stage with Harris or probably anywhere within 5 miles of her, because if you actually saw them together it would be clear what a decrepit old man looks like.

Plan B, call him a coward, which hits him where he hurts. It's a good wedge.

I was just considering what the underlying truth of the matter could be. Calling him a coward seems like a much better, political move. My personal favorite would be “You got lucky once in a debate, but if you can’t do it twice you can’t do it at all.”
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:58 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

How many times must we let him jerk our chain before we just ignore him and move on?

Keep punching him in the public marketplace of ideas. "Americans deserve better" could resonate with people tired of him and his cult.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 8:59 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

Plan B, call him a coward, which hits him where he hurts. It's a good wedge.

She laughs at him all the way through "he won't debate me" section of her stump speech. It's perfect. If he doesn't show up, he's a scaredy-cat, but... he's also terrified of her.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 8:59 PM on July 31 [11 favorites]

There’s a lot of overthinking this.

Trump’s attack puts three thing in people’s minds:
1) she’s phony;
2) she wants special treatment;
3) she’s black.

Whether the parts line up in a way that make a coherent argument doesn’t matter. He’s hitting three very loud sirens at the same time. “She’s a liberal, and they have this crazy race stuff going on you can’t make sense of.”

That’s all.
posted by argybarg at 9:08 PM on July 31 [20 favorites]

Or he thinks he's hitting very loud sirens, as opposed to sounding ridiculous and out-of-touch to anyone that doesn't breath Newsmax. Like, remember when Vance attacked the childless and it was a genius, sensical, siren-hitting triumph?
posted by ormondsacker at 9:21 PM on July 31 [12 favorites]

TRUMP(pondering): Kamala is dominating this newscycle, and drawing all the attention away from me. How can I get back in the headlines?
TRUMP STAFFER: Sorry to disturb you, sir, it's time to go to the NABJ conference.
TRUMP: I'VE GOT THE BEST IDEA.
posted by otherchaz at 9:39 PM on July 31 [6 favorites]

He’s hitting three very loud sirens at the same time. “She’s a liberal, and they have this crazy race stuff going on you can’t make sense of.”

Sure, but he's preaching to the choir when he needs to be building a bigger congregation.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:44 PM on July 31 [6 favorites]

Harris faces a pivotal moment as
Trump questions her identity

The DARVO of headlines.
posted by Artw at 9:51 PM on July 31 [25 favorites]

Trump Surrogates Already Spinning ‘Turned Black’ Comments

“He rightfully pointed out that her parents are Jamaican and Indian heritage. That is a fact,” Leavitt said after McShane questioned her about Trump’s jaw-dropping remarks. Trump did not directly mention Harris’ father Donald J. Harris, a Jamaican-American retired Stanford professor, in his remarks at the NABJ conference.

Typical case of them claiming he said things he didn't say.

I mean, if that's what he was supposed to say, he fucked that up.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:09 PM on July 31 [3 favorites]

Sure, but he's preaching to the choir when he needs to be building a bigger congregation.

Does he? At this point he’s still the frontrunner, with a firewall built into the electoral college. I don’t understand any of it, but at this point Donald Trump doing Donald Trump-style shit seems to be an absurdly viable commodity.
posted by argybarg at 10:12 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

Sure, but he's preaching to the choir when he needs to be building a bigger congregation.

Does he? At this point he’s still the frontrunner, with a firewall built into the electoral college. I don’t understand any of it, but at this point Donald Trump doing Donald Trump-style shit seems to be an absurdly viable commodity.
His congregation is very much large enough to put him in the White House. All he has to do is keep them focussed on him and he'll win. Please don't let the rest of the world down by thinking he can't win or the fight is over now that Kamala's on the scene. This fight will go all the way to the wire and people everywhere are counting on Americans to keep their eye on the prize.
posted by dg at 10:16 PM on July 31 [21 favorites]

We remember this from 2016, don't we? This is classic Trump campaign strategy, and it's working to manipulate the media and the public just as well as it did last time.

This performance was not a mistake. It's working as intended.

The NYT is covering his controversial remarks, replacing their analyses on policy matters in Project 2025 and their Kamala coverage, and WaPo, bizarrely, took him seriously to frame this as a campaign issue. Over on X, folks are now earnestly debating how heritage works. On Reddit, he's getting massive coverage (memes, mockery.... but always, mindshare). This is the discussion, attention, and change in topic Trump wanted to move the momentum in his direction.

Everyone who's correctly outraged, or bemused, enough to comment on this, already knows who he is. They help him out anyway by repeating his message (to criticize it, sure, but focusing on it nonetheless). There's only so much attention that can be paid between now and election day, and anyone distracted by the latest antics isn't talking about (say) Project 2025.

The voters at the fringes who decide the election pay attention to the topics people are talking about versus the substance of policies. Right now, thanks to the coverage on this event, their topic is hot nonsense assigned by Donald Trump for journalists and opinion-writers to write about.

The solution isn't to respond and give it airtime. The winning strategy is not to pay attention.
posted by a neat little robot at 10:27 PM on July 31 [29 favorites]

“He rightfully pointed out that her parents are Jamaican and Indian heritage. That is a fact,” Leavitt said…

And this matters… how, Leavitt?
posted by Capt. Renault at 10:29 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

a neat little robot:

Yes, and, like a standup comic, Trump is always auditioning material. He’s say whatever shit comes into his head, then watch Fox & Friends to see what part they can work with. They’re going to shape this into some sort of narrative in which she’s a racial grifter in some way, and the workshopping will continue.

The only sane response comes down to focusing on messaging and turnout.
posted by argybarg at 10:35 PM on July 31 [2 favorites]

It's weird how the right starts this shit when they don't have anything else to win with.

I've been wondering what the effect of interest rate cuts might be on the election.

45 has said he would take over the Fed and set interest rates to suit his political goals, and he's also leveled some pretty heavy duty attacks against the Fed's expected rat cuts late in the election.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/business/4624880-trump-second-term-fed-powell-potential-plan/amp/

I'm worried that September is too late for the cuts to substantially help Harris, but maybe I'm wrong.

Tho I fully expect that a motivated foreign power will start some kind of international crisis near the election to try to sway the outcome, and that could have an overwhelming effect.
posted by constraint at 11:06 PM on July 31 [1 favorite]

I don’t think there’s any grand strategy here like trying to own the news cycle or sending the perfect dog whistle. Trump is impulsive and ignorant; that’s all the explanation we need.
posted by mr_roboto at 11:17 PM on July 31 [22 favorites]

“She’s a liberal, and they have this crazy race stuff going on you can’t make sense of.”

And Trump's base is so obsessed with pure race that it religiously contains their views on everything from abortion and public education to vaccines that pollute their "pure" blood. Even liberal means race traitor to them, their oldest enemy since Lincoln.
posted by Brian B. at 11:31 PM on July 31 [1 favorite]

Tho I fully expect that a motivated foreign power will start some kind of international crisis near the election to try to sway the outcome, and that could have an overwhelming effect.

I mean, Israel (which absolutely prefers Trump to Harris) is right at this moment trying to gin up a regional war.
posted by adrienneleigh at 11:38 PM on July 31 [10 favorites]

[extremely dril voice]: Hello Donald this is your lawer speaking. I am advising you today to please keep posting this shit
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 11:43 PM on July 31 [7 favorites]

What I don't get is why Trump would deliver these particular dog whistles in front of this particular audience.

He's got plenty of other opportunities to plant race fear about Harris to a predominantly white audience who (to one degree or another) may be receptive to it. But what possible upside did he see in spouting this stuff to the exact audience it's sure to antagonise and disgust the most? He might as well have come on stage and just screamed the N word at them for ten minutes.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:06 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

spouting this stuff to the exact audience it's sure to antagonise and disgust the most?

And that's exactly why. With the Harris activity he's felt deprived of media attention, so he's getting some.

I am hoping for a press secretary "... Weird. Okay, moving on..."
posted by away for regrooving at 12:28 AM on August 1 [4 favorites]

I'm noticing with these recent lazy racist/sexist and other baseless attacks on Harris' character, one of the great advantages for the Harris campaign this cycle: the alt-right media machine hasn't found enough scraps of half-truths to begin threading them into a "Harris Crime Family" conspiracy theory yet.

They no longer have "her emails" or "Hunter's Laptop," and a full Harris conspiracy will probably take months or years to build, which I'm sure they'll get to eventually, but not before November.

All they have left are lazy insults, or their losing policy arguments. He's going to need to make the murderers at the border story extra extra scary I guess.
posted by p3t3 at 1:19 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

WaPo's current headline is just as bad as its first one:
Trump’s attack on Harris’s racial identity moves contest into new phase

Well, they sure hope it does. Such a disgusting way to play into Trump's hands. It takes 18 fucking paragraphs for Post reporters to get to this part:

Harris’s mother is from India, and her father was born in Jamaica. Harris has embraced both identities for decades.

They've learned nothing from the recent past. You can almost smell their disappointment at Harris deciding to not play the game:

Some voters may expect Harris to give a more full-throated response to Trump’s attacks, as then-candidate John F. Kennedy did in 1960 when political adversaries raised questions about his Catholic faith...

Now, some of Harris’s associates and allies say engaging with Trump’s comments at length would risk turning the contest into a debate on race and sending each side’s backers to their respective corners. Letting Trump’s remarks stand on their own, in contrast, could prompt many voters to recoil, they said, while Harris can focus on issues voters care about, such as the economy and abortion rights.

Crap like this fully justifies Dean Baker's ongoing reminders that folks at the top of papers like WaPo will see a big reduction in their taxes if Trump wins again. I hope someone aside from me who subscribes will also write the Post a very polite "what the fuck are you doing?" letter today.
posted by mediareport at 1:28 AM on August 1 [17 favorites]

Twitter:
A moment of silence for J.D. Vance's half white half Indian kids who are about to watch their dad go on television and pretend that he doesn't understand how it's possible for someone to be two races at once
posted by mediareport at 1:39 AM on August 1 [65 favorites]

>'Weird' Trump hates being laughed at. So Harris is laughing
posted by chavenet

I suspect he just hates genuine healthy laughter, because that means the person laughing is experiencing non-malicious emotional pleasure and community, which is something he can't and never has. The closest he gets is a sneering malignant form of schadenfreude at the suffering of others, especially if he is the one inflicting it. Which, in his perverse mind, is what laughter in others must also be about – kicking down.

He can't feel good emotions, so he tries to prevent others from feeling them.

>"a lot of the journalists in this room are black," trump says to the national association of black journalists conference

Fact Check: True!
posted by funkaspuck

I was waiting for him to follow it up with:

'Some of them, I presume, are good journalists.'

>I know white supremacists are generally not much of a brain trust, but his utter inability to imagine that someone’s family tree might have more than one branch is…downright Habsburgian.
posted by armeowda

So that's where gets his weird little butt mouth from.

>I don’t think there’s any grand strategy here like trying to own the news cycle or sending the perfect dog whistle. Trump is impulsive and ignorant; that’s all the explanation we need.
posted by mr_roboto

Don't underestimate his rat cunning and ruthless survival instinct, and experience. He has been at this con game for [checks notes] his entire 79 years, and is still out of jail, still in business, and still in command of a potent political force, potentially enough to genuinely win the coming election without resorting to electoral scumfuckery. I mean, he will do the scumfuckery anyway because he can't not do it, but he might not need to.

The trick to dealing with the likes of Trump is to pick your battles. Walk on past when he is baiting you, then kick him hard in the political nuts, in public, when he drops his guard because you didn't take it.
posted by Pouteria at 2:01 AM on August 1 [10 favorites]

The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people.

Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.

Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s Maga rallies this entire campaign. It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as vice-president Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans. All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10.

I would've preferred a pithier, funnier response. Too many clauses in those sentences.
posted by clawsoon at 2:27 AM on August 1 [4 favorites]

Yep, it’s going to suck when he’s President again.
posted by pompomtom at 2:40 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

I would've preferred a pithier, funnier response. Too many clauses in those sentences.

Yeah. It's this very canned "politician" style of speaking that I wish people (well, the ones I want to see elected) would move away from. Vibes matter and always have.

I looked up video clips of some of the VP candidates to see which ones actually came across like human beings when they talk, and it's not a lot of them.
posted by trig at 2:49 AM on August 1 [2 favorites]

> what possible upside did he see in spouting this stuff to the exact audience it's sure to antagonise and disgust the most?

In the Derp-o-verse, he is speaking truth directly to power, explaining the simple matters of race to the overbearing egghead liberal media elites.

> Jamaican

The play will be to point at this fact and announce "...and therefore she TECHNICALLY isn't African-AMERICAN, checkmate!" and smirk.
posted by Rat Spatula at 3:30 AM on August 1 [3 favorites]

Oh and

> purity

It was very striking to me when he insisted that he has only the deepest respect for a Black person "or" (his word) an Indian person, and really seemed to beg someone to ask "Can a person be both?"
posted by Rat Spatula at 3:38 AM on August 1 [3 favorites]

The black journalist audience LAUGHED at him yesterday. If you call it “dominating” the headlines, it’s for the wrong reason. It’s the Vance/couch effect. Derision is the way.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:47 AM on August 1 [16 favorites]

This is all so stupid and I hate it.
posted by DeepSeaHaggis at 3:49 AM on August 1 [15 favorites]

Doctors told Pelosi of concern for Trump’s mental health, ex-speaker says in book (Guardian).

In early 2019, at a memorial service for a prominent psychiatrist, a succession of “doctors and other mental health professionals” told Nancy Pelosi they were “deeply concerned that there was something seriously wrong” with Donald Trump, “and that his mental and psychological health was in decline”.

“I’m not a doctor,” the former speaker writes in an eagerly awaited memoir, “but I did find his behaviors difficult to understand.”

[...]

On the page, Pelosi says she did not solicit statements about Trump’s mental health from attendees at the memorial for Dr David Hamburg, “a distinguished psychiatrist who … served as the president of the Carnegie Corporation, where he had been a great voice for international peace”, and who died in April 2019.

Elsewhere in The Art of Power, however, the former speaker is not shy of stating her views about Trump’s mental health, calling him “imbalanced” and “unhinged”.

By 6 January 2021, Pelosi writes, “I knew Donald Trump’s mental imbalance. I had seen it up close. His denial and then delays when the Covid pandemic struck, his penchant for repeatedly stomping out of meetings, his foul mouth, his pounding on tables, his temper tantrums, his disrespect for our nation’s patriots, and his total separation from reality and actual events. His repeated, ridiculous insistence that he was the greatest of all time.”

posted by Paul Slade at 4:02 AM on August 1 [6 favorites]

My take from that cringefest is that Trump is so excited to get his ass handed to him by Black people in November, he decided to start early.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 4:13 AM on August 1 [6 favorites]

It's depressing that all the news orgs are obsessing about this, and that we have 135+ comments about it right here. Just what Trump wants.

I mean, the press and MeFi went batshit-obsessive for days and days over Biden’s debate performance, so I’m not sure why you’re suddenly expecting them to ignore/dismiss TFG’s performance.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:33 AM on August 1 [5 favorites]

It's depressing that all the news orgs are obsessing about this, and that we have 135+ comments about it right here. Just what Trump wants.

I don't get this at all. While I wish all of the headlines were "TRUMP DOES A RACISM OUT LOUD" I certainly don't want them all to ignore colossally horrible things like this. I don't think it's making Trump look great* and it needs as much sunlight as possible.

MOST of what Trump says should be ignored, but when he says the quiet part out loud people need to know about it. Trump probably loves the attention but it isn't doing any of the other Republicans any good when they have to spend their time defending his weird racism instead of saying their talking points.

* Except to his base, but we're not winning them over.
posted by mmoncur at 4:43 AM on August 1 [5 favorites]

But the NAJB leadership is also fudging the truth

Can I just say that I literally don't care? Trump has been lying to all of America for nearly a decade. People should fudge, false pretense, and lie to him more, imo. Waste this dumb boy's time. Keep him spinning, make him mad, let him have his diaper baby tantrums on any stage his team is foolish enough to put him on. The grown ups have work to do.
posted by phunniemee at 4:46 AM on August 1 [29 favorites]

Trump and his allies had a plan for how to hit Harris. Then he opened his mouth (Politico)
posted by box at 4:50 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

Regardless of what he said, he sounded like an idiot. I get that for a slice of people that’s a plus but for a bigger slice, it’s not.

I hope.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:07 AM on August 1 [5 favorites]

My next door neighbor, a right wing nut and racist, said to me that Kamala has a good chance of winning. I replied that it is going to be close. I told him that the misogynist racist comments are going to start flying. (They already are well underway.) He replied that she is not really black. This is America in 2024.
posted by DJZouke at 5:10 AM on August 1 [13 favorites]

We should start telling white people that they're not really Irish.
posted by phunniemee at 5:19 AM on August 1 [57 favorites]

One of the talk-radio idiots where I live has been banging on the idea that Jamaican people aren't African-American.
posted by box at 5:23 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

What always gets me is that Trump literally insulted and demeaned a gathering of journalists and yet journalists in general will continue to provide him with the professional courtesy of platforming him.

Access journalism should be a two way street. If you abuse journalists, you should lose access to their platforms. That should mean no automatic rebuttals when your opponent gets press for unveiling new policy proposals, no unnecessary reports about campaign rallies, no haigiographic stories about the lessons learned while growing up, and no puff pieces about being a really great dad.

Trump thumbed his nose at journalism and acted like a petulant child, but the news media will afford him every professional courtesy they would a candidate who treats them with respect.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:29 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

Donald needs a copy of "Reading A Room for Dummies",.

If it existed.

Which it doesn't.

Surprisingly.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 5:40 AM on August 1 [4 favorites]

"But individually we don’t have to fall into this Trump confusion matrix where we’re kind of beguiled by some mysterious, secret ingenious plan that explains why a bizarre racist outburst that normal people look at and think “What’s wrong with him?” is actually a genius political move. It’s just an outburst and attempted reset. No more, no less."

The False Dark Allure of Trumpite 12 Dimensional Chess from Talking Points Memo.

Don't chase the Trump laser pointer.
posted by jointhedance at 5:46 AM on August 1 [21 favorites]

I don’t think there’s any grand strategy here like trying to own the news cycle

There are many things about sales (there’s no such thing as bad publicity?) that as a non-sales person I know very little about. What I do know is that selling himself as a brand is something that Trump has been doing for many decades now, with ongoing success among parts of the population that we love to scoff at.

While I don’t think he’s some sort of master strategist, I think he is a very experienced professional when it comes to selling himself. He’s not playing 6-dimensional chess, but he’s not fumbling around in the dark either.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 5:51 AM on August 1 [4 favorites]

I wonder if the Harris team should offer Trump a pass on the September debate based on the fact that it “may overlap with his sentencing.”
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:26 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

oh and I just re-listened and

>> purity
> or

his actual statement uses either and in fact seems to, if not emphasize it, at least enunciate it.
posted by Rat Spatula at 6:55 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

The thing is, the Republicans know they have to appeal to racists (the Southern strategy) but they also know it turns a lot of people off. So they try to inoculate themselves. That's why you have Vance saying Democrats will call drinking Mtn Dew racist. It's to provide cover for when they really are racist.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:56 AM on August 1 [5 favorites]

Plan B, call him a coward, which hits him where he hurts. It's a good wedge.

I've seen TFG guy called a "debate dodger" on Twitter, snerk.

I suspect he just hates genuine healthy laughter, because that means the person laughing is experiencing non-malicious emotional pleasure and community, which is something he can't and never has. The closest he gets is a sneering malignant form of schadenfreude at the suffering of others, especially if he is the one inflicting it. Which, in his perverse mind, is what laughter in others must also be about – kicking down.

This is typical of narcissists. They often think they're hilarious, but their sense of humour mostly consists of them taking a lot of malicious pleasure in treating other people like shit: in sneering at people, tearing them down, humiliating them, getting things out of them, or getting the better of them in some way. There's no playfulness or creativity involved, nor new connections being made or originality involved as there is in genuine wit.

While I don’t think he’s some sort of master strategist, I think he is a very experienced professional when it comes to selling himself. He’s not playing 6-dimensional chess, but he’s not fumbling around in the dark either.

While I doubt Trump's IQ was ever above average, he isn't as stupid as one would think from just listening to his speeches. Narcissists tell a lot of unbelievably stupid lies, but they know full well that they're lying, even though they don't have the maturity or the decency to admit it. He has a savant-like ability to get people's attention and to distract and derail, and he has an advantage over any principled opponent in there's nothing he will not stoop to to get whatever it is that he wants.
posted by orange swan at 6:58 AM on August 1 [9 favorites]

There’s a lot of overthinking this.

Trump’s attack puts three thing in people’s minds:
1) she’s phony;
2) she wants special treatment;
3) she’s black.

Sure, but he did this in front of and to a room full of Black journalists. If this election is gonna be dominated by "vibes" and social media (which, TBH, they all are), this was a dumb move because that becomes the vibe. If he'd done this at one of his normal rallies in East Exburbia full of white people, the story would have been, "Ho hum, Birther is trying to Birther again, move on nothing to see here." Cranking up Birtherism 2.0 in a room full of Black people takes the focus away from "Kamala is a phony who wants special treatment" and moves it to, "WTF even was that !!??"

Plus of course he was incredibly rude and dismissive to the panel right from the start, and he just would not shut up and kept talking over them, and spent most of his time regurgitating the same old same old lies and exaggerations, like a fucking programmed bot.

A few of the worst conserva-trolls are trying to paint this as "He went into the enemy's stronghold and dominated them!!!" but I think the real story and vibe that came out of this is about Trump's inability to stop being an insulting whiny racist even when it's very clear it would be in his best interest to do so.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:08 AM on August 1 [15 favorites]

Sure, but he did this in front of and to a room full of Black journalists

Because black people only make up about 15% of the US population. He's showing that he can mock them in their home and still overpower them due to sheer numbers. That's the 'supremacy' part of 'white supremacy'.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:19 AM on August 1 [14 favorites]

When Trump loudly drops turds like at this NAJB event, and the response is mostly sharp intakes of breath and the rattle of clutched pearls, he wins.

If the response is turning the obvious critiques into dismissive memes and bites that ridicule and demean him, the harsher the better, then maybe he loses. If he's not fuming and lashing out 24/7, then he's not being attacked and ridiculed enough.

Anyone know if he's ever got it on with any upholstered furniture? Asking for a friend.

Seriously, do not chase the Trump laser pointer.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:26 AM on August 1 [15 favorites]

The National politico-media cartel are part of his base, the NYT -minus Bouille and a few others, WAPO minus Rubin and a few others, WSJ (no others) CNN (ugh, puke).

See the headlines, inability to say ‘liar lies again, like others breathe’. The endless sanitizing of his firehouse of incoherent bullshit, the heavy handed unequal treatment of democrats, and on and on…

I ask myself for the zillion time, don’t these pathetic sycophants know what will happen to them under Trump2s vengeance campaign? Read a fucking history book!!!
posted by WatTylerJr at 7:27 AM on August 1 [6 favorites]

That WaPo one is still next level though. Still reeling from the brazenness of it.
posted by Artw at 7:28 AM on August 1 [2 favorites]

Democracy dies in dogshit.
posted by flabdablet at 7:32 AM on August 1 [12 favorites]

I looked up video clips of some of the VP candidates to see which ones actually came across like human beings when they talk, and it's not a lot of them.

Tim Walz is who you're looking for. Dude comes across as a sane, decent, normal person every time.
posted by ishmael at 7:43 AM on August 1 [20 favorites]

Because black people only make up about 15% of the US population. He's showing that he can mock them in their home and still overpower them due to sheer numbers. That's the 'supremacy' part of 'white supremacy'.

I dunno if this is an actual strategy or if it works with anyone but the base. I don't want to beat the drum too hard for my fellow white people, but I think that most Democratic voters see "she's not Black enough" as an ignorant faux pas even if they don't understand it as full on racism.

Also, I paid relatively little attention to Kamala Harris until recently and to the degree that I thought about it, I assumed that she was Black, I'd read a couple of stories about her sorority, etc. I'd say that on the Harris front, I have been a pretty low information voter.

Also, as we know, there aren't a lot of true undecideds out there - there's a lot of people who are undecided about whether to vote. People who don't like Trump really haaaaaate Trump. If Trump says that the sky is blue, people are going to think twice. If Trump says that Harris isn't Black enough or just "turned Black" or whatever, that is going to carry, like, negative weight with likely Democrats.
posted by Frowner at 7:44 AM on August 1 [9 favorites]

I ask myself for the zillion time, don’t these pathetic sycophants know what will happen to them under Trump2s vengeance campaign? Read a fucking history book!!!

“CNN’s live coverage of the end of the world will continue following these important messages…”
posted by Thorzdad at 7:45 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

One thing that struck me about the interview was after the first question, Trump did a variation on the Gish Gallop which he portrayed himself as the victim and insulted the host repeatedly for not treating him to his expectations (which from what he was saying included but not limited to kissing his ass), ultimately never answering the actual question. He was being a bully because, well, he is a bully.
I know it's hard to be in that situation. A typical interviewer who has just been railed at will try to calm things down and make nice.
This is exactly what he wants.
I will leave this here on the off chance that some member of the media who has the opportunity to interview him gets similar treatment. The best response you can give is something along the lines of, "You didn't answer my question and it obviously made you uncomfortable. You are running for a job that will require you to listen and thoughtfully respond to questions that make you uncomfortable on a daily basis. Once again, I asked '...' do you refuse to answer this question?" And stick to your guns.
posted by plinth at 7:54 AM on August 1 [18 favorites]

"Harris is a racial grifter" is going to be this year's Swiftboating.
posted by rednikki at 8:05 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

We should start telling white people that they're not really Irish.

And their great-grandmother wasn’t a Cherokee.
posted by TedW at 8:10 AM on August 1 [19 favorites]

"Harris is a racial grifter" is going to be this year's Swiftboating.

Think it's different this time. I mean they're definitely trying that, but the Harris campaign has had a lightning response time so far, putting out a half dozen memes immediately after each incident, and so far all of the Maga smears have boomeranged right back into their faces.

Trump and Vance can't shake the "weird" label, Trump never laughs, Trump won't debate, Trump doesn't know what "black jobs" are... and so on.
posted by ishmael at 8:15 AM on August 1 [6 favorites]

This would be a great opportunity for Kamala Harris to talk about the one-drop rule and the history of racial oppression in the United States. Some white people believe they are allowed to tell people of color whether they are black or not.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 8:17 AM on August 1 [11 favorites]

Questioning people’s racial identity is a favorite pastime amongst white people across political spectrums and age and, unfortunately, black people like to do it too. Harris being married to a white man adds an extra level to it. Unfortunately a lot of people distrust those they can’t easily categorize by looking at them.

I hope that, like many other things in this campaign, it’s happened “too soon” and they’ve teed up Kamala to deliver a stirring and inspirational speech at the convention. Is anyone gonna ask Vance if his kids are white or Indian?

Anyway, Toni Morrison:

“The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”
posted by girlmightlive at 8:19 AM on August 1 [42 favorites]

A thing that gives me hope (weirdly) is America’s large corporates (a group that tests the hell out of every marketing campaign) have gone all in on interracial couples in their national commercials - esp during massive sports events (eg Olympics). And more amazingly it’s black men with whites women! Holy shit that’s pretty freaking stunning for anyone under Gen Z!

Maybe it’s cause white (non white supremicists) Americans have collectively decided that America ‘can’t be a racist country see!’ (So not true, see Sonya Massey x 1 million).

And since white people are at that place, trump et al, ugly racist attacks on interracial families will go over so so badly.

I hope. And that is the ONE time I’m ever giving corporate actors even the most modest of credit.
posted by WatTylerJr at 8:30 AM on August 1 [9 favorites]

Sure, but he did this in front of and to a room full of Black journalists

Yes, he spoke truth to power. The man is fearless.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:48 AM on August 1

This election has become a referendum on racism and forced breeding, the twin relics of slavery.
posted by Brian B. at 8:49 AM on August 1 [2 favorites]

Nah, that's just this week. Lots more coming in September and October; but get ready for a news drought because August is the only month when all these powerful media and political people feel comfortable taking vacations, they'll be at the beach.
posted by Rash at 9:09 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

Hi Mr Trump, since we're discussing 'colour', I would like to know whether you are actually, authentically bright orange, or are simply a white American individual masquerading as bright orange. This is a really important question, and as the elections grow ever closer, it is a conversation that the country needs to throw some focus on.

Were you just pretending to be bright orange, or is it something that washes off? Can you even be a real American if you steadily become oranger over time? Or are you descended from a rare culture of tangerines? Your hands are rather on the small side, too, which throws up even more doubt as to your capability of, ahem, handling the position.
If you could get the answers to us ASAP, that would be great, since we are growing quite confused as to which you identify with this year; as I recall there might have been speculation around the time of the insurrection that you were actually born a satsuma.
.......
On a serious note, no one's colour, race or heritage ought to be up for debate when running for presidency. What a cringe little toad he is.
posted by PheasantlySurprised at 9:56 AM on August 1 [8 favorites]

I suspect his team calculated this event as a chance for him to boost his base and make him sympathetic to suburban whites. He said the same racist dogshit as he always does but this time, in front of black people, that makes the racist base excited. I think they were hoping the black journalists would be _scary_ and _mean_ to him so your average white suburbanite can think about how being challenged by black people make them uncomfortable also.

They only ended the interview when it shifted to project 2025 which no one likes and any discussion of it hurts republicans.
posted by being_quiet at 10:06 AM on August 1 [3 favorites]

I'm British so have never heard of a "DEI hire". They make it sound like it's about hiring people that are not qualified, so I can only assume it stands for Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka. [@selzero | Mastodon]
posted by mazola at 10:06 AM on August 1 [46 favorites]

It's human to be mad at the hate salad that shoots effortlessly out of that guy, but it is so effective of Harris and the Democrats to bring the focus from the daily salad ingredients back to the ongoing story that Trump is weird.

It neuters Trump's power to distract and exhaust, and is so refreshing. I love it.
posted by zippy at 10:08 AM on August 1 [2 favorites]

Hi Mr Trump, since we're discussing 'colour', I would like to know whether you are actually, authentically bright orange, or are simply a white American individual masquerading as bright orange.

As someone who proudly self-identifies as an Orange Metafiltarian, I would like TFG to be asked this question.
posted by orange swan at 10:13 AM on August 1 [36 favorites]

Yes please.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:23 AM on August 1 [36 favorites]

I am but a lowly goblin from north of the great maple wall, but what I find extremely telling are reports that the NABJ event was delayed because Dosed-Up Donny didn’t want live fact-checking.

Here’s hoping I soon see Kamala raise the debate challenge stakes by saying she would accept live fact-checking. Even better I’d like to see her hold up a bathroom scale and say here’s the first fact checker.
posted by house-goblin at 10:37 AM on August 1 [8 favorites]

Clarifying that I am not actually a rabbit, but most definitely curious.
posted by A Most Curious Rabbit at 10:54 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

I'm not sure it was a disaster at all. He wanted to 1. grab headlines for fueling them-vs-us racial conflict, 2. excite his base by showing how brazenly racist he's willing to be (à la asking April Ryan if the Congressional Black Caucus were friends of hers—deliberately open racism), 3. make it look like PoC with any power or influence will use it to abuse white men, 4. portray journalists as fake.

He may have accomplished exactly what he intended. [@junecasagrande | Mastodon]
posted by mazola at 11:05 AM on August 1 [2 favorites]

Crowd Leaves Early As Trump Delivers 90-Minute Attack on 'Crazy Kamala'
posted by ishmael at 11:18 AM on August 1 [5 favorites]

Trump messed with Rachel Scott's water bottle during the panel when she wasn't looking.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:23 AM on August 1 [8 favorites]

I love that it took The Fonz saying something, to get MSM to cover the water bottle weirdness.
posted by funkaspuck at 11:25 AM on August 1 [3 favorites]

Trump messed with Rachel Scott's water bottle during the panel when she wasn't looking.

He's such a reflexive ghoul, jfc. He simply cannot help himself.
posted by ishmael at 11:32 AM on August 1 [5 favorites]

He...wanted to make sure she couldn't get a drink?
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:37 AM on August 1 [3 favorites]

I suspect his team calculated this event as a chance for him to boost his base and make him sympathetic to suburban whites.

I think this was his attempt at making more headway with Black voters (since he's been polling better with that voter bloc in this election) and thinking his usual schtick would work. I think he genuinely believes POC stereotypes are real and that therefore he can't be racist because he's just "telling it like it is." But he wasn't in a curated environment this time, so that delusion immediately encountered the Stump Grinder Of Reality.

The campaign seems to have lost control of him over the last couple weeks, as well. He went off prompter at the RNC and rambled for 70 minutes. His campaign wanted Doug Burgum for VP and he chose Vance. He wasted a campaign day speaking to...bitcoiners?!? And now this. No wonder they pulled him offstage.
posted by greenland at 11:37 AM on August 1 [7 favorites]

"Harris is a racial grifter" is going to be this year's Swiftboating.

For the swiftboating, they managed to trot out some other actual Swift Boat dudes who agreed. I do not think that, when the GOP deploys a few Black people to tell us that Kamala Harris isn't Black, it will land the same way. For one thing there are a lot more people with experience being Black than there are with experience in Swift Boats.
posted by penduluum at 11:38 AM on August 1 [15 favorites]

There's no way he has the hand strength to tighten the cap on that bottle in any way that she'd notice. Maybe implying he could slip something in her drink? Or most likely, the part of his brain that does impulse control is just plain fried. Weird.
posted by mrgoat at 11:49 AM on August 1 [4 favorites]

Song that "randomly" comes on as I'm reading this thread: Nowhere Man, The Beatles
posted by luckynerd at 11:51 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

He later drank from that same water bottle, so I don't know how much you can read into him grabbing it.
posted by peeedro at 11:57 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

I wouldn’t say that the racial-grifter angle is going to kick up more than a weird little cloud of animus that clings to the people who already distrust her.

The problem for Trump this year is that Hillary Clinton had been macerated by 20+ years of GOP attacks into a figure that everyone “knew” was corrupt and suspicious. There isn’t time to draw a convincing similar shadow behind Kamala Harris. So maybe it won’t work.

On the other hand, maybe just a few hundred hits of “she’ve very stupid, this KaMAla, and very nasty” will be enough. We live in head-piercingly awful times.
posted by argybarg at 11:59 AM on August 1 [4 favorites]

If they were going to roll this out effectively it had to start with his black acolytes, not emerge as a sudden utterance. It is possible that he may have actually mixed Haley up with Harris.
posted by Selena777 at 12:00 PM on August 1 [6 favorites]

RE the water bottle, it seems like he was trying to open it. I don’t think there was anything nefarious here. He saw a water bottle in front of him, Scott turned away for an moment and he took the opportunity to try to get a drink. Either he was unable to open ithe bottle easily and so set it down, or he opened/loosened the cap, but decided to set the bottle down without drinking, to continue talking.

That said, if you were in a bar with the guy, you certainly wouldn’t want the creep going anywhere near your drink.
posted by darkstar at 12:00 PM on August 1 [7 favorites]

[And yes, as someone else noted, there is a problem with the addition button. It says that my comment, just posted, was posted “17 minutes ago”.]
posted by darkstar at 12:01 PM on August 1

There was a bottle right next to him on a small table.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:12 PM on August 1 [1 favorite]

This might shock you, but TFG is not known for his general awareness.
posted by mazola at 12:14 PM on August 1 [12 favorites]

MAGA Racism & Media Failures: The attacks on Kamala Harris's race revive a tired racist strategy, and we need to call it out [Qasim Rashid | Let's Address This]

You’ll notice that I did not spend any time in this article providing receipts of all the times Kamala Harris has identified as Black. That’s the distraction MAGAs want. Don’t fall for it. Harris is Black and Indian. Period. Nothing more needs to be said to validate her racial identity.

Indeed, the lesson for us is to not let MAGA racism distract us from the real policies at stake.
…
MAGAs are playing identity politics with Kamala Harris to distract us from fighting for economic, social, and climate justice, so they can enact Project 2025 unhindered. With less than 100 days until Election Day, we must instead remain that much more focused to demand justice and protect our democracy.

posted by mazola at 12:45 PM on August 1 [13 favorites]

For as long as Trump has been on the public stage, the very first thing people noticed about him is "WOW, that guy is stupid."

We always knew that Trump was amazingly stupid, just astoundingly stupid. His entire political career has only emphasized that perception ("windmill cancer", "shark vs. electric boat", "why not try injecting bleach", etc, ad infinitum). . .

. . . but even after all the years of Trumpian stupidity that we've been forced to witness, it's STILL jarring to realize that the very concept of somebody being "multi-racial" is utterly beyond his intellectual grasp.

He literally can't understand it: "She was Indian, then she became black?"

Yes: he is THAT stupid.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 1:20 PM on August 1 [19 favorites]

He was white, then he became orange?
posted by kirkaracha at 1:34 PM on August 1 [8 favorites]

I'm still boggled at "He thinks Hannibal Lecter is real and still keeps raving about him," and all the shark shit.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:35 PM on August 1 [7 favorites]

If you know any trump supporters, ask them if they’ve begged God for forgiveness for the degenerate filth they’ve foisted on America.
posted by chronkite at 1:45 PM on August 1 [2 favorites]

Great article in the Guardian about this. Forgive me if it's already been linked.

The only appropriate response from any serious journalist, whether black or not, is to call this out. Wouldn't mind a few celebrities, who claim to have understanding and sensitivity around race issues, calling this for what it is, too.
posted by Artful Codger at 1:46 PM on August 1 [3 favorites]

if you know any trump supporters, ask them if they’ve begged God for forgiveness for the degenerate filth they’ve foisted on America

I'll go out on a limb and say it's probably not the best rhetorical strategy to voice your staunch opposition to fascism by employing actual Nazi terminology.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:10 PM on August 1 [2 favorites]

Artful Codger Re sharp intake of breath and clutching of chests, I agree.

But I think it'd be a good idea to just get out there with absolute honesty as well as memes and internet hot takes.

I think the Daily Show did a good job on the mockery front, but what's been noticably absent is people just openly saying "Trump wants white supremacy and condescends to Black people"

Or

"Trump thinks Black people are late, lazy, rude, and mean because they ask him questions."

Or

"Trump was so frightened by Black reporters he retreated to his comfort zone of racist dogwhistles and demands that everyone kiss his ass"

Or

"Trump thinks Black people are so stupid they don't know Kamala Harris is Black"

Or

"Trump ran away when a Black reporter asked about Project 2025"

Or

"Trump whines like a coward when a Black reporter asks him a real question"

Or

"Trump is so racist he doesn't know biracial people exist"
posted by sotonohito at 2:10 PM on August 1 [10 favorites]

"Nobody's ever called me weird. I'm a lot of things, but weird I'm not."

— Donald Trump
posted by kirkaracha at 2:35 PM on August 1 [4 favorites]

everyone: please just stop being weird

republicans: the best we can do is is discussions of race purity and olympian genitalia
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 2:40 PM on August 1 [16 favorites]

We always knew that Trump was amazingly stupid

There's an anecdote I first heard about 30 years ago about a long-standing British Member of Parliament who once heard his younger colleagues complaining that another MP was a complete idiot. According to the story, he replied, "There's a lot of complete idiots out there in the electorate and they deserve to be represented just like everyone else".

I used to think that was funny. Since 2016, I'm not so are.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:45 PM on August 1 [15 favorites]

I have and will continue to enjoy mocking Trump for being an idiot and an asshole. That will never change. It is good for you and good for your teeth.

One thing I would like to change is for there to be a Harris 2024 website that isn't just an ActBlue donation page. There should be something that explicitly describe what she is for beyond not being Donald Trump that I can point to.
posted by East14thTaco at 3:24 PM on August 1 [7 favorites]

I love the absolutely terrible face tan photo paired with that quote. Also, no longer true!
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:27 PM on August 1 [3 favorites]

Some slight evidence against this being a Trump masterstroke:

Republicans reel at Trump's "embarrassing" remarks about Harris

…making open racism their brand still a bit further than some of them prepared to go. Of course only Murkowski is willing to put her name to that.
posted by Artw at 1:35 PM on August 1

Goodgawd, The Murkowski quote. I can't even....what the hell does that mean? "default to issues"?!?

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."
posted by bluesky43 at 3:36 PM on August 1 [2 favorites]

what the hell does that mean? "default to issues"?!?

Generous interpretation: she's thinking about Trump's birtherism as the defaulted-to issue. She's saying that he's going back to his political origins as a birther.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:48 PM on August 1 [5 favorites]

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."

Excuse me, I am a skilled Murkowski whisperer. Please allow me to translate what I think she means:

“The candidate Trump is a waste. He is more of an incurious, silver-spoon nepo-baby than Dubya was, if you can believe that. Trump’s term in office was so catastrophically bad that it’s now spoken of in terms of ranking with Buchanan — the guy that gave us the Civil War — for badness. So bad that he made Dubya, who gave us two multi-trillion-dollar wars and normalized spying on American citizens, look positively Churchillian in comparison. So bad that literally hundreds of thousands of Americans died because of his grossly negligent handling of a pandemic.

He’s a malignant narcissist who has actually said — and I mean out loud and repeatedly — that he plans to outright abuse his office in multiple ways if re-elected. He’s an adjudicated rapist, a jury-convicted con-man, and most certainly attempted a coup. He has stolen classified documents, obstructed justice, ran a fraudulent charity, and would sell out the US to Putin for a Diet Coke, if given the chance. And he has a multi-decade track record of racism.

So what do you talk about when your candidate is an absolutely corrupt shit-heel? Well, they could focus on policy, but their policies are incredibly unpopular. So…the only thing they have left is to leverage as much hate, deceit and bigotry as possible. I’ll call that kind of gutter-plumbing behavior “issues”, so I don’t have to reference it explicitly, and tut-tut when he brings up these “issues” so I can maintain the fiction that I’m a decent person, and not just another Republican coward who needs that shit-heel’s followers to keep voting for me.”

Well, apologies if I might not have caught everything in translation because of Murkowsi’s regional dialect, but I think that’s the gist of it.
posted by darkstar at 4:03 PM on August 1 [26 favorites]

It is all clear to me now. Thank you Metafilter :).
posted by bluesky43 at 4:15 PM on August 1 [1 favorite]

if you know any trump supporters, ask them if they’ve begged God for forgiveness for the degenerate filth they’ve foisted on America

"Innocently" asking them whether JD Vance's kids are white or Indian (and then watching them splutter) might be more amusing.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 4:18 PM on August 1 [8 favorites]

One thing I would like to change is for there to be a Harris 2024 website that isn't just an ActBlue donation page. There should be something that explicitly describe what she is for beyond not being Donald Trump that I can point to.

I know it seems like it's been three months since this started but KH only announced on July 21. I would expect there to be actual policy stuff available on her website slightly before or as a VP is announced.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 4:34 PM on August 1 [4 favorites]

The campaign seems to have lost control of him over the last couple weeks, as well.
posted by greenland

That is my reading of it. They never had that much control of him at the best of times, but now he is genuinely losing the plot, and they are losing what little control they did have.

I think the best lens to view him and his actions through is that he is only in the race to stay out of jail. He wants that sweet sweet immunity the SCOTUS has dangled in front of him. The more his chances of winning fall, the more his desperation and stress levels will go stratospheric as the harsh post-election reality of being the loser confronts him.

So he is only going to get worse from here, much worse, and quickly.
posted by Pouteria at 5:55 PM on August 1 [16 favorites]

I dunno, folks. I think that it won't work, but I actually think was a deliberate strategy. Trump and Vance are trying to paint Harris as a phony, and they're trying to do it in as inflammatory, ugly, and racist a way as possible so that the media talks about it constantly. And it's kinda working! And I think Harris realizes this, which is why she's not engaging with it in the same way she's engaged with other Trump bullshit - she's not giving a "say it to my face" style rejoinder, just saying "let's move on from this guy" and keeping going. I'm hopeful that events like announcing the VP and the convention will keep the focus on Harris, where it should be for her to win. Or, and this a big hope, enough people really are turned off by this to turn away from Trump. But, like, it hasn't happened yet!
posted by nightcoast at 6:04 PM on August 1 [3 favorites]

She literally said, say it to my face...
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:18 PM on August 1 [6 favorites]

Trump’s Racist Attack on Kamala Harris Was No Accident
posted by Artw at 6:27 PM on August 1 [6 favorites]

...he is only in the race to stay out of jail.

Don't forget that it's also so that he doesn't have to turn off all the automatic monthly donations from his supporter that they've forgotten about and/or find it too much hassle to cancel.

If he loses this time, he will announce his candidacy for 2028 the day after he'd otherwise be required to turn all those automatic donations off. If that happens, he's not getting most of them back. If I remember correctly, that'll be the day after inauguration.

Everything he does can and often is for more than one reason and "the grift" is almost always one of them.
posted by VTX at 6:28 PM on August 1 [9 favorites]

sonohito: but what's been noticably absent is people just openly saying "Trump wants white supremacy and condescends to Black people"

It would be gratifying to hear "serious" media tell the unvarnished truth a little more often, but time has proven that a straight-up comment like that simply rolls off of true believers like water off a ducks back, and even the few Republicans with a shred of morality left won't bat an eye, because it's all about power, and if "Stupid" is mathematically electable, they will all wear their "I'm with Stupid" tshirt.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:31 PM on August 1 [6 favorites]

The False, Dark Allure of Trumpite 12-Dimensional Chess

Trump’s latest racist rant isn’t the sign of a campaign which has watched its national and swing state leads vanish in ten days and is desperate to do anything to change the subject. It’s actually an ingenious plan that more conventional political thinkers aren’t able to understand. This is the lure of Trumpian 12-dimensional chess. The belief that behind the chaos and nonsense is a clear strategy that basically can’t lose.

That’s not the case. Trump’s aim with these outbursts is precisely to kick up these storms of disorientation and confusion. That looks crazy, but is there something he knows that we don’t? There must be! … There’s not.
...
The point of this outburst is basically just a reset. It’s instinctive more than strategic. Remember that time when Trump asked why they couldn’t just drop a nuclear warhead on a fast approaching hurricane? This is kind of like that. His outburst is the nuclear warhead dropped into the Kamala Hurricane, an organized weather system that’s been chewing him up since a week ago Sunday.

Let’s also not forget that these sorts of outbursts are why normal people see these people as … well, weird. Yes, what Trump was doing today was coarse and deeply racist. But there’s a whole other level of it where people see these frantic and screechy comments and just think, who talks like that? It’s similar to why “weird” resonates about these folks.

posted by kirkaracha at 7:21 PM on August 1 [10 favorites]

sonohito: but what's been noticably absent is people just openly saying "Trump wants white supremacy and condescends to Black people"

There are going to be supercuts of Trump being a racist all over the place. There's decades of material to work with - the one that has surfaced now is from 1993. Then he has to deny it, which makes him look insane, or embrace it, which makes him look insane. This isn't 12 dimension chess, he's just a loon.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:37 PM on August 1 [8 favorites]

Or, and this a big hope, enough people really are turned off by this to turn away from Trump. But, like, it hasn't happened yet!

It's only been one day, though, so it seems oddly premature to assume there has been no effect.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:41 PM on August 1 [2 favorites]

Well, apologies if I might not have caught everything in translation because of Murkowsi’s regional dialect, but I think that’s the gist of it.

You overlooked the part about "having correctly identified the misbehavior, rest assured that I will do nothing useful to correct it."

It may be expressed completely silently but it's as surely there as the venom in a proud southern lady's "Well bless your heart!"
posted by Nerd of the North at 7:44 PM on August 1 [9 favorites]

I was trying to figure out why highly placed members of Trump’s team would just, like, tell a reporter what they most feared in a Democratic strategy. My deep dive led me to Chris LaCivita, and Susie Wiles. (I know they’ve both been mentioned multiple times above). I guess they’re basically the kingmakers?

Both Intelligencer and Politico are, in theory, left-leaning. Both articles appear to be very gentle with LaCivita and Wiles. Wiles apparently befriends and trade favors with many, many journalists, and LaCivita is apparently ruthless about destroying people, and good at it. That explains the kid gloves, I suppose.

Anyway, they both appear to be good at their jobs. I’d really like to hear that, actually, they’re not. Both articles spooked me, because I do not want to hear that Trump has highly placed individuals who can nimbly shape the chaos that is Trump into something that works, AND who work closely and well with each other.
posted by tllaya at 9:22 PM on August 1 [2 favorites]

the one that has surfaced now is from 1993

Even then he couldn't tell which people were Indian and which weren't.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:39 PM on August 1 [5 favorites]

Anyway, they both appear to be good at their jobs. I’d really like to hear that, actually, they’re not.

The Politico piece on Wiles is rather breathless, and does gloss over her involvement in campaigns that were and are still notable failures. It seems unlikely she would have allowed McCain to run with Palin, for instance, if she was as competent as described.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:45 PM on August 1 [4 favorites]

Don't forget that it's also so that he doesn't have to turn off all the automatic monthly donations from his supporter that they've forgotten about and/or find it too much hassle to cancel.

If he loses this time, he will announce his candidacy for 2028 the day after he'd otherwise be required to turn all those automatic donations off. If that happens, he's not getting most of them back. If I remember correctly, that'll be the day after inauguration.

Everything he does can and often is for more than one reason and "the grift" is almost always one of them.
posted by VTX

Yeah, the grift is part of it, always is with TFG. You can bank on that.
posted by Pouteria at 10:53 PM on August 1

There are going to be supercuts of Trump being a racist all over the place. There's decades of material to work with - the one that has surfaced now is from 1993.

Hell, there's that full-page ad he took out in 1989 about The Central Park Five (now happily known as "The Exonerated Five", after their sentences were reversed) where he called for the death penalty against them. (One of them is now a city council member and had his own clapback recently.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:29 AM on August 2 [7 favorites]

Im really doubtful that Trump will be going to jail if he loses. Yes there's those felonies but they rarely carry a prison sentence for first time offenders.

Artful Codger I think it's less about trying to sway Trump voters, because as you note it won't, but simply that there is value in being honest.

The news is there, in theory, to inform us. So when it won't just outright say "Trump is promoting racism and white supremacy" its a sort of society wide denial of reality and I think that beyond any electoral calculus it's bad for a society to be that deeply in denial about how the world is.

EmpressCallipygos I would have given a year of my life to see one of the reporters at the NABJ event ask him if he regretted calling for the execution of five innocent Black teens.
posted by sotonohito at 5:48 AM on August 2 [6 favorites]

EmpressCallipygos I would have given a year of my life to see one of the reporters at the NABJ event ask him if he regretted calling for the execution of five innocent Black teens.

When the news broke that Trump was guilty on all 34 counts for the Stormy Daniels thing, Yusef Salaam (one of the five) tweeted out a one-word reaction: "Karma."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:54 AM on August 2 [5 favorites]

I would have given a year of my life to see one of the reporters at the NABJ event ask him if he regretted calling for the execution of five innocent Black teens.

Maybe we could crowdfund things like that. I’d be willing to kick in several hours of my life if it meant that Judge Cannon were removed by the appeals court and replaced on Trump’s classified documents trial. If we could get a couple thousand folks to chip in…
posted by darkstar at 5:55 AM on August 2

In a tweet from 2019, Trump said, "Badly failing presidential candidate @KamalaHarris will not go to a very wonderful largely African American event today...This and best unemployment numbers EVER is more than Kamala will EVER be able to do for African Americans!"

He was clearly referring to her race, and clearly lying when he said he thought she was Indian.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:03 AM on August 2 [4 favorites]

The Rise of Neobirtherism
posted by Artw at 6:51 AM on August 2 [4 favorites]

Every single person saying Harris isn't black had a Bob Marely poster on their wall in college.
posted by East14thTaco at 8:21 AM on August 2 [5 favorites]

Simone Biles: "I love my black job."
posted by Artful Codger at 8:34 AM on August 2 [27 favorites]

So, it turns out that the "technical issues" that delayed the interview was Trump's staff fighting over fact checking.
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:35 AM on August 2 [14 favorites]

> So, it turns out that the "technical issues" that delayed the interview was Trump's staff fighting over fact checking.

"I was prepared to go on stage to craft a statement, saying he decided not to go on stage because of fact-checking... we couldn't compromise on that.

As Lemon was preparing that statement, Trump walked onto the stage.

*chef's kiss* This is how you do it. In a lot of other settings, the decision-makers would have capitulated to TFG's demands and given him an open platform to spread his bullshit. Knowing they had the leverage to make him look like a chickenshit if he refused to take the stage, they forced his hand, offering to tell the audience that he was going to be bullshitting them. Desperately needing the platform to change the state of the race, he took the stage anyway.

Perfect playbook for any future interviews/appearances, but I suspect he'll get much friendlier treatment from others.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:54 AM on August 2 [12 favorites]

NYT Walz interview today.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:57 AM on August 2 [7 favorites]

Tim Walz: This is where I take offense to JD Vance and “Hillbilly Elegy.” Those are my people. I come from a town of 400 — 24 kids in a class, 12 cousins, farming, those types of things. And I know they’re not weird. I know they’re not Donald Trump.

The thing is, we have to get them away from what he’s trying to sell because that’s not who they are. Just picture in your mind Donald Trump coming home after a day of work and picking up a Frisbee and throwing it. And his dog catches it, and the dog runs over, and he gives him a good belly rub because he’s a good boy. That’s what I do. And that’s what those rallygoers do. That is exactly who they are, and they’re going through the same things all of our families are.

He’s captured some of this. And fear is scary. I mean, the world is changing. We’re seeing, you know, conflict in the Middle East. We saw a global pandemic, which he did nothing to fix but seized upon.

And I think it’s kind of breaking that spell again of saying, “Look, he’s not offering you anything.” And then we dang sure better be ready to offer something.

Telling you. Tim Walz is the one. This is the way.
posted by ishmael at 9:13 AM on August 2 [32 favorites]

Ungated link to that article jenfullmoon linked. Highly recommended. So many more excellent quotes.
posted by ishmael at 9:22 AM on August 2 [6 favorites]

Both Intelligencer and Politico are, in theory, left-leaning.

Politico may be many things, but it is not left-leaning in the slightest, in theory or otherwise. It's Beltway insider horserace tabloid trash. Tiger Beat on the Potomac.
posted by Gadarene at 9:35 AM on August 2 [10 favorites]

And yet Politico was not right leaning enough for Jim VanderHei, which is how Axios happened.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:15 AM on August 2 [3 favorites]

Politico may be many things, but it is not left-leaning in the slightest

Yeah, I was gonna say. Especially since it was bought for a billion dollars by a right-wing German company in 2021, according to Foreign Policy:

The Scandalous History of America’s Newest Media Baron
The new owner of Politico, Axel Springer, has a decades-long record of bending journalistic ethics for right-wing causes.

The CEO once sent an email to his work buddies asking them to pray that Trump was elected, then tried to deny he did it until he was shown a printout of the email, according to WaPo and Poynter:

The Washington Post looks at Politico’s new owner … and it’s quite something
The profile of Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner addresses his ‘contrarian’ plan, an email to executives that seems to celebrate Trump, and more.

[...] One was an email that he sent to his top executives that said, “Do we all want to get together for an hour in the morning on November 3 and pray that Donald Trump will again become President of the United States of America?” He then added that no administration has done more in the past 50 years.

When Ellison asked him about the email, he at first denied it, saying, “That’s intrinsically false. That doesn’t exist. It has never been sent and has never been even imagined.” When shown a printout of the email, Döpfner changed his story and said it’s possible he sent it “as an ironic, provocative statement in the circle of people that hate Donald Trump.”

Here's a gift link to the WaPo story Poynter quoted, Politico’s new German owner has a ‘contrarian’ plan for American media, which adds this to the above:

It’s possible, he said, that he may have sent the email “as an ironic, provocative statement in the circle of people that hate Donald Trump,” because that’s exactly the kind of ironic, provocative thing that Döpfner, a garrulous and enthusiastic texter, likes to do. “That is me,” he said. “That could be.”

Yeah, Politico is not even close to "left-leaning."
posted by mediareport at 10:28 AM on August 2 [13 favorites]

As of yesterday afternoon @Vp team moved on after being told “no” by NABJ leadership. The NABJ leadership even asked for a VP surrogate replacement like Megan the stallion, Oprah or Barack Obama.

The last part of that is kind of a WTF thing for me, I get that Megan Thee Stallion has apparently been doing Harris campaign appearances in support of bodily autonomy, but that's a far cry from being able to serve as a surrogate in a general journalistic environment. If an audience member were to ask her (or Oprah, or even Obama, really) a question about Harris's policies on policing justice, or Palestine, or any of hundred of other governing topics on which Harris presumably has an articulatable position, what do they expect in response? She's not on the policy team or the comms team or anything. What on earth would having any of those people as a campaign surrogate accomplish there?
posted by jackbishop at 10:38 AM on August 2 [5 favorites]

Meanwhile Trump's new VP candidate (since mysteriously Mike Pence isn't the VP candidate) has a long history of invoking blood libel and racist fears by claiming a "cabal" of childless non-white people want to kidnap the children of white people and turn them trans.
posted by sotonohito at 10:42 AM on August 2 [9 favorites]

The "Against Trump" National Review?

National Review is straight garbage. They're against Trump based on aesthetics and electability, not because they're principled or whatever.

Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business." - the vile Jonah Goldberg, flaunting his war boner on NR in 2003.

Google "Why The South Must Prevail" to see the poisoned soil from which NR slouched.
posted by Sauce Trough at 10:50 AM on August 2 [4 favorites]

a "cabal" of childless non-white people want to kidnap the children of white people and turn them trans.

aka Q-anon Lite.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 11:19 AM on August 2 [3 favorites]

From the article sotonohito linked to:

Addressing those leaders, Vance said, “If you want to brainwash children, have your own kids to brainwash. Leave your hands off mine.”

One cannot help but think of how this provides a glimpse not only at Vance’s “childless people” conspiracy fear-mongering, but also at the projection of his view that parents should brainwash their children.
posted by darkstar at 11:21 AM on August 2 [7 favorites]

As a member of the childless cabal, y'all can keep your kids.

Way to outnut "I can see Russia from my house" lady, brah.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:25 AM on August 2 [9 favorites]

Why Trump Can’t Banish the Weirdos
posted by Artw at 11:29 AM on August 2 [1 favorite]

Huh. I wonder which publication I got mixed up with Politico. For my mental health, I don’t seek these publications out and pretty much only read them when they’re linked here or something from here leads me to a quick search. My apologies for labeling them left, and now I know. I appreciate it.
posted by tllaya at 12:04 PM on August 2 [3 favorites]

Possibly PoliticalWire? I occasionally mix them up with Politico.

PoliticalWire is run by Teagan Goddard and is variably considered centrist or leans-left, but they have, for some time, generally posted content that is more complimentary to Biden/Harris and less so of Trump/Vance. (As evidenced by the posts on their front page currently.)
posted by darkstar at 12:16 PM on August 2

I had them mixed up for a while with Politifact, whose Truth-O-Meter I looked at a lot in 2008 and was just calling out a lot of e.g., Sarah Palin's lies.
posted by aubilenon at 12:30 PM on August 2 [1 favorite]

For whatever reason, i get ProPublica (which is genuinely leftist simply by virtue of telling the truth regardless of who gets upset about it) mixed up with Politico sometimes, so that could also be it? I don't know why this happens to me all the time, the names aren't that similar! But brains are weird!
posted by adrienneleigh at 12:52 PM on August 2 [8 favorites]

I get those two mixed up in my head a lot too, but I also smoke a lottt of weed so I blame that
posted by Jarcat at 1:00 PM on August 2 [1 favorite]

Propublica! Adrienneleigh, you’re not alone in mixing those two up. That’s the one. I, also, do not know why I assign Propublica’s reporting style to Politico. Thank you, that was going to bother me forever.
posted by tllaya at 1:22 PM on August 2 [3 favorites]

They're very different outlets! But somehow the name confusion problem hits me at least once a month!
posted by adrienneleigh at 1:23 PM on August 2 [4 favorites]

Really, all four of these websites occupy the same, undifferentiated semantic space in my mind, under the loose heading of “Politipropublifact”, that only differentiates at the moment I read them, and only for as long as the browser tab is open.

(I’m sure if I were still engaged in political activism and campaigning and blogging like I used to, I’d spend more mental energy to keep them straight. But energy, especially these days, is a finite resource.)
posted by darkstar at 1:40 PM on August 2 [4 favorites]

NABJ Spectacle: Not a Laughing Matter [Stephanie Jones]

Trump didn't fall on his face as some seem to think. He accomplished exactly what he went in there to do: draw the spotlight away from Vice President Kamala Harris and back to himself by attacking, insulting, and demeaning Black Americans, in general, and Black women in particular.

He did not do this "interview" to gain any Black votes. He's not interested in our votes.

His purpose was to show white people that he's not afraid of us and that he is willing to come into our spaces - in this case, by invitation - and disrespect us … and do it unashamedly.
…
I don't care how bad he looked, I don't care how many votes he lost, I don't care how many votes Vice President Harris may have gained as a result of this debacle. There was nothing good or funny about any of this.

posted by mazola at 6:33 PM on August 2 [14 favorites]

ProPublica only does investigative journalism, so they’re not publishing this kind of news-of-the-day reportage.
posted by mr_roboto at 6:36 PM on August 2 [3 favorites]

I don't care how bad he looked, I don't care how many votes he lost, I don't care how many votes Vice President Harris may have gained as a result of this debacle. There was nothing good or funny about any of this.

Not sure that adds up. Sure, it isn't funny. But if he lost votes and Harris gained some, how is that a win for him?
posted by Pouteria at 7:24 PM on August 2 [2 favorites]

He did not do this "interview" to gain any Black votes. He's not interested in our votes

There were news reports for months saying just the opposite. (New York Times, November 2023 and NBC, May 2024 and Al Jazeera, March 2024)

Trump’s appearance at the NABJ was the first time he’d been fact-checked in real time and he flailed so badly the audience laughed at him and his handlers yanked him out of there. I’m tentatively hoping it’s his “Have you no sense of decency sir” moment.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:54 PM on August 2 [11 favorites]

Hopefully. She’s a a former Obama admin deputy Chief of staff among other accomplishments so I find she’s a voice worth listening to.

I think the piece speaks to what we all lose from that, election math aside, and that resonates (at least with me). America becomes more divisive and dangerous because of TFG’s antics.
posted by mazola at 8:13 PM on August 2 [1 favorite]

his handlers yanked him out of there.

This was the tell. He was supposed to be there for the full hour. Harris Faulkner (his fox friend) was cut off mid-question because his team pulled the plug.
posted by ishmael at 9:36 PM on August 2 [1 favorite]

TFG has apparently agreed to a debate in Pennsylvania for Sept 4.
posted by St. Oops at 1:29 AM on August 3 [2 favorites]

A Fox-hosted debate where it's not clear Harris will agree. As opposed to the pre-arranged ABC one he withdrew from.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:14 AM on August 3 [9 favorites]

I said this in the Harris thread as well:

How about this. Trump also called for "a full arena audience" in the debate at Fox. So Harris says "alright, on one condition: we make it a town hall format with the audience asking questions, and WE get to pick 50% of that audience and THEY get to ask 50% of the questions."

And then in that audience you have NABJ members, E. Jean Carroll and Stormy Daniels, all prepared with questions about things like Project 2025 and Trump's business finances.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:31 AM on August 3 [9 favorites]

Speaking of ... birther style nonsense...
Doesn't anyone care that Trump was born in Jamaica??

On the off chance this isn't just a joke, in this case "Jamaica" is an area of Queens, the borough of NYC.
posted by aught at 7:21 AM on August 3 [5 favorites]

IMO this little factoid is ripe for exploitation.
posted by Rash at 9:09 AM on August 3

On the off chance this isn't just a joke, in this case "Jamaica" is an area of Queens, the borough of NYC.

In addition, were both his parents not American citizens? I'm not American but my understanding is that if your parents are American, it doesn't matter where you're born, you're an American citizen.

Is the constitution concerned with more than citizen by birth?
posted by dobbs at 12:18 PM on August 3

TFG has apparently agreed to a debate in Pennsylvania for Sept 4.

Harris hasn't agreed to this. Evidently, neither Trump nor Fox News places much value on consent when making an "agreement."
posted by jonp72 at 3:17 PM on August 3 [2 favorites]

Harris should not debate Trump and take the present situation to indicate that he doesn't know how to debate. His only game is to win the angry grifter vote and she will be defending herself from past commitments. If a tik tokker can attend a Trump rally and handily find half a dozen people who sincerely believe in flat earth, which they did, then they should be debating that instead. Trump would hedge carefully, then lose some support, but it won't happen. Debating about government policy is hers to lose even if she wins because its the government they hate, and his followers can't understand it anyway. Undecided voters don't really exist, they simply won't admit to pollsters they intend to vote for emotional security and the "strongest" candidate, which is their word for stubbornness of belief.
posted by Brian B. at 3:46 PM on August 3 [3 favorites]

Evidently, neither Trump nor Fox News places much value on consent ~~when making an "agreement."~~

FTFY.
posted by nickmark at 4:42 PM on August 3 [7 favorites]

Is the constitution concerned with more than citizen by birth?

If your parents are both US citizens and they were married at the time of your birth, you're golden no matter where you were born. If you're born outside the US (a) to one US-citizen parent and one non-US-citizen parent, or (b) out of wedlock to two US-citizen parents, it can be a little complicated and there's some argument about it being natural-born citizenship.

Unlike a lot of countries, the US recognizes birth citizenship based on both the major longstanding legal principles: jus sanguinis (the law of blood) and jus soli (the law of soil). Jus soli is the one the Republicans really want to get rid of; cf rhetoric about "anchor babies", etc. The US is also very liberal about jus sanguinis -- in a lot of countries, only the father can transmit citizenship by blood; the US only cares about whether at least one parent is a US citizen with actual ties to the US. (This is to prevent situations where, like, your grandmother was a US citizen, moved to Germany, had kids who were granted US citizenship but never lived there, then transmitted US citizenship to their kids who also never lived there, and eventually you get 10 generations of US citizens who have never been to the US.)
posted by adrienneleigh at 4:48 PM on August 3 [6 favorites]

Jus soli is the one the Republicans really want to get rid of

For clarity, I think we should say it's what they're focusing on because its racism is cloaked in a legal technicality that's inapplicable, uninteresting, or seems beneficial to most of their base.

That's how they're hollowing out the VRA, it's how they're neutering affirmative action, and the birtherism movement's origins prove they will object to any type of citizenship for non-whites.
posted by Riki tiki at 5:38 PM on August 3 [4 favorites]

he flailed so badly the audience laughed at him and his handlers yanked him out of there

The instant Project 2025 came up.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:05 PM on August 4 [3 favorites]

NZ has a sort of 2nd class citizenship, I'm a kiwi but my kids were born in the US, US citizens at birth, and after some annoying paperwork also NZ "citizen by descent", all the rights of a NZ citizen (passport etc) BUT can't pass it on to their kids.

We moved back to NZ, after 5 years they are eligible to be naturalised, it was expensive ($600 each) and required all the paper work (police check etc) as anyone becoming a kiwi except they didn't have to do the ceremony where the mayor gives you a kowhai. That in itself is a bit silly, ideally there's a computer somewhere in the immigration dept that notices you've been here 5 years and checks the box in your citizenship record that flips you to 1st class citizenship.

I think this is a middling solution to this particular citizenship issue (generations of citizens that have never lived in a country) that's because there are countries that don't give citizenship to kids of non-citizens born there and that risks people having kids who are stateless
posted by mbo at 9:38 PM on August 4 [1 favorite]

mbo: I mean, fundamentally i'm on team "fix statelessness by abolishing all states and borders", so i hear you. I was definitely not endorsing all particulars of the US' position (although it is significantly better than most states', honestly, which is why racists hate it so much), merely trying to clarify it for the commenter who asked!
posted by adrienneleigh at 10:18 PM on August 4

Yeah, I hear you, I wasn't really trying to criticise anyone, just trying to show a different way that it's done and its upsides and downsides.

I do think that "if you born somewhere you're a citizen no matter who your parents are" (which NZ also practices) is a good rule as it does reduce statelessness
posted by mbo at 10:22 PM on August 4 [1 favorite]

they didn't have to do the ceremony where the mayor gives you a kowhai

Wait, New Zealand gives its new citizens little trees?

That's possibly the nicest thing I've ever heard.
posted by trig at 12:20 AM on August 5 [2 favorites]

Might not happen everywhere, does happen here in Õtepoti/Dunedin - the local joke (and it is just a joke) is that they come back after a year and check to see if it's still alive, if it isn't they take your citizenship back. My wife's is about to outgrow its tub
posted by mbo at 12:35 AM on August 5 [2 favorites]

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"I didn't know she was Black."
July 31, 2024 12:37 PM Subscribe