Donald Trump’s heated clash at a Black journalists conference sent shockwaves through social media Wednesday afternoon as critics expressed disbelief that the Republican presidential nominee would question whether Vice President Kamala Harris is, in fact, a Black woman.
“This Trump NABJ interview is an absolute DISASTER,” wrote comedian Travon Free. “I can't believe he's saying this stuff into a microphone.”
Trump spoke for just over 30 minutes before being cut off by his own team at the National Association for Black Journalists event Wednesday in Chicago, where he called interviewer Rachel Scott “hostile” and “nasty” before going on to question Harris' racial identity.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and she wants to be known as Black, so I don't know – she is Indian or is she Black?” Trump said in a video of the interview. “She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person.”
The video was trending on social media Wednesday afternoon and eliciting big reactions.
Read also: 'Stone cold phony!' Trump doubles down on questioning Kamala Harris' 'racial identity'
“Oh my God. I cannot believe this Trump interview with Black journalists is real,” wrote podcaster Jon Favreau. “This may be one of the worst interviews he's ever done, and that's saying something."
“If you thought Joe Biden’s debate was bad tune into Trump at the Black journalists conference. WOW,” wrote GOP political consultant Mike Madrid.
“I can’t believe I’m actually shocked at what came out of trumps mouth but to say people at the border are coming & taking 'Black jobs' to a group of Black journalists & questioning whether Kamala is Black is all kinds of asinine giving permission to the most ignorant to copy him,” wrote @edgykristina.
“Trying to silence Black women. Lying to Black voters. Putting himself before the issues that matter most to Black communities,” wrote Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison. “Trump was once again a disaster today in front of the NABJ just like he was a disaster for Black families during his failed presidency.