Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris will be in Philadelphia for an event to take tough questions from three members of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) just six weeks after Donald Trump questioned her ethnicity at the group’s annual convention, NBC News reported.
Harris is scheduled to take questions on Sept. 16 at the public radio station WHYY, from the co-host of NPR’s Fresh Air and Truth Be Told podcast host, Tonya Mosley; The Grio’s White House correspondent and managing editor of politics, Gerren Keith Gaynor; and Eugene Daniels, Playbook co-author,
and Politico’s White House correspondent. The event will be live-streamed on the NABJ YouTube and Facebook pages at 2:30 p.m. ET. However, it is not labeled as an official campaign event for the Harris-Walz team.Only NABJ members and 100 students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will be able to participate.
Harris’ appearance is stirring up more positive responses in comparison to former President Trump’s chaotic appearance in August 2024, making incorrect statements about the Vice President and comparing himself to President Abraham Lincoln, claiming he was the best president for Black people since his tenure
. “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,” Trump said.“So, I don’t know, is she Indian, or is she Black?”
The Vice President is expected to answer questions regarding her record as attorney general of California, her vice presidency, and certain details about policies benefiting Black people that her administration is preparing. According to WHYY
, President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Marrazzo called the opportunity an “honor.” “It is an honor for WHYY to be a participant in this important process,” Marrazzo said.“WHYY welcomes the chance to support NABJ’s goal to ensure that its membership, as well as the general public, hears from both presidential candidates in advance of the November election.”
NABJ President Ken Lemon echoed his sentiments. PolitiFact is scheduled to conduct a real-time fact-checking of the conversation, using the hashtag #NABJFactCheck on social media, as the journalism organization is not able to endorse any political candidates. “We look forward to our members and student journalists hearing from Vice President Harris as our panel asks the tough questions that are most pressing to the communities served by NABJ members,” he said.
“As we have always stated, NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization. Just as we demonstrated during our Convention interview with former President Trump, this event will not be a campaign rally but will be handled with respect to journalistic principles.”
RELATED CONTENT: Harris-Trump Debate Attracted Over 67 Million Viewers