Scott: Do you believe Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she is a Black woman?

Trump: Well, I can say now I think, maybe, it’s a little bit different. So, I’ve known her a long time indirectly, not directly, and 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.

But it got so much worse.

Trump: Now she wants to be known as Black. I don’t know. Is she Indian, or is she Black?

Scott: She has always identified herself as a Black woman and went to a historically Black college.

Trump: I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t. Because she was Indian all the way, then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went—she became a Black person.

To get the full sneering, disrespectful effect, you have to watch the video.

Harris faces untold scrutiny for her diverse heritage, and not just from the right. Trump’s attacks on her at Wednesday’s event were particularly egregious, even for him.

The media has done a great job overlooking Trump’s statements and cherry-picking one reasonable thing he said out of a pile of excrement proves he’s a changed man. But they’re really going to have a hard time with this one.

———-  MORE ———-

CHICAGO — Donald Trump on Wednesday berated a Black reporter who pressed him about past offensive comments and accused his opponent, Vice President Harris, of downplaying Black heritage she routinely highlights as a sit-down meant to showcase Trump’s outreach to voters of color immediately turned hostile.

ABC News’ Rachel Scott began the Q&A session at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago by noting — among other comments — Trump’s insults toward Black prosecutors, his repeated false claims that America’s first Black president was born in Africa and his comments that four congresswomen who are racial minorities should “go back” to the places they came from.

“Why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?” Scott said.

“Well first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said, calling the interview “disgraceful” and criticizing a “rude introduction.” He alleged he was invited under a “false pretense” because he had expected his opponent to be there as well and criticized the organizers for starting late.

“I love the Black population of this country, I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country,” he said.

Asked if it was acceptable for some of his supporters to derisively call Harris — a Black, Indian American woman — a “DEI hire,” Trump pressed the moderators to define the term, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. The talk grew even more combative.

Trump claimed Harris used to only promote her Indian heritage — even though, as a moderator pointed out, she was part of a historically Black sorority and embraced her Black identity in many ways.

“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?” Later he said “she was Indian all the way” but then “became a Black person.”

“I think somebody should look into that too,” he said, speaking over his questioner. He continued his frequent mispronunciations of Harris’s first name, which many have called disrespectful.

The remarkable scene came as Trump and Harris were both set to court Black voters on Wednesday. Democrats hope their new candidate can re-energize their most reliable constituency and prevent the GOP from making gains.

Republicans have been keen to improve their performance with Black voters and especially Black men, encouraged by polls that showed softening support for President Biden. But they could face a stiffer challenge now that Biden has bowed out of the 2024 race, paving the way for Harris to lead the Democratic ticket.

Trump’s itinerary on Wednesday reflects his continued hopes to chip away at Democrats’ traditional dominance with Black Americans. But it also underscored the resistance he is facing — largely due to his own public comments. His plans for a Q&A at the National Association of Black Journalists convention immediately drew backlash from some members and that one former White House correspondent called a “slap in the face.”

“False. False. False!” one attendee yelled out, as Trump falsely asserted that undocumented immigrants arriving to the U.S. are “taking votes away from all of the people in this room.”

“You just lie!” one audience member said.

---

UPDATE

Well here’s a headline you don’t see every day!

Trump called “grumpy, cruel, hard-of-hearing, race-baiting, a-hole” after hostile NABJ interview .

That’s an actual headline on NJ.com right now quoting Tim Miller (who is usually a great interview). Wow. Just wow! Holy cannoli. Maybe that’s how Trump planned it- I mean he is always playing 3d chess, right?

Http://www.nj.com/politics/2024/07/trump-called-grumpy-cruel-hard-of-hearing-race-baiting-a-hole-after-hostile-nabj-interview.html

Harris’ rallies feature her speeches that are no longer than 20 minutes, most between 15 and 20.  Only one person introduces her and that speaker is limited to 3 minutes.   She makes her points, asks for donations, and gets off the platform to cheers

Meanwhile, Trump is introduced by a gang of admirers who speak for around 30 minutes, then, he raves for and hour and a half — 90 minutes — easily two hours total.  No wonder video of his rallies show the crowd leaving 30 minutes into his rant.

Across the street the Democrats have a new candidate filled with excitement and much enthusiasm. All of a sudden, the story isn’t about Donald Trump anymore! And so, Donald Trump does his best to return the spotlight to himself. Trump tells the crowd he doesn’t care how you pronounce Kamala. Because Donald Trump is a petty and disrespectful man and very scared.

There is a tendency to jerk the wheel to get the car back straight on the road. It’s easy to do too much and jerk the wheel too hard. And sometimes, doing too much can be worse than doing nothing at all. Donald Trump looks pretty good for a man of damn near eighty years old. Side by side on stage with Joe Biden, Trump looks visibly younger. Donald Trump is also a professional performer who knows how to emote for the camera.

But side by side, with a woman twenty years his junior. And Trump will appear that much older and there’s not a damn thing the Republicans can do about it to fix it. Republican were certain age was the key to victory and now it might still be, only not for them. So, the fear begins to set in. It’s a problem which cannot be overcome. The only thing left to do is to tell even bigger lies! Wow those bumpkins into submission until they are stunned into silence.

Donald Trump is a narcissist and a media hound. He’s seen every poll and every news report. Trump is back to phoning Fox and Friends again, whether they like it or not. Seeking a public spotlight every waking minute of the day because Donald Trump is scared shitless. He’s been texting on Twuth Social like a squirrel on amphetamines.

He says, “I took a bullet for Democracy!” Like Donald Trump stormed Omaha Beach or something. But it’s the fear. He is begging, “Please elect me! Aw, come on please! I got shot and stuff. Please!” Trump speaks before a coven of Christian cone heads and promises them the moon. He supports their agenda 100% We should put the ten commandments up in public schools for them. But Donald Trump would be hard pressed to name all ten of those commandments, even while a participant in breaking most of them.

“Yeah sure, whatever you guys want! You can have two Sundays every week if you like.”

Then there is the unspoken Republican fear. The sneaking suspicion and worrisome fear Donald Trump has picked the wrong running mate. Seems the ticket of Trump/Kryptonite or Trump/Boat Anchor is doomed from the start. J.D. Vance isn’t much smarter than Sarah Palin. Only, Sarah Palin didn’t know anything, but she didn’t try to act like she did. J.D. thinks he’s smart but is too dumb to know when to shut up. Like spinning your wheels in the mud. The more you try doing it to get unstuck the more stuck you will become.

I call J.D. Mr. Kryptonite because Donald Trump could have made the same cat lady remark, and nobody would have batted an eye. But when Mr. Kryptonite says it! The whole world wants to scratch his eyes out. And he’s too dumb to shut up about it. He’s like a show runner at Disney, he’s going to argue with the audience about what they like.

Vance is a take no prisoners blustering bully type. The tough guy not afraid to fight it out. But mysterious are the arms of likeability. If they don’t like you, they don’t like you and that’s all that can be said about it. In the original pilot for “The Munster’s.” The part of little Eddie Munster had to be recast because the original was a snarling obnoxious little shit you wanted to back hand. Two little boys and only one is cute, and the other is an obnoxious snarling little shit head, both reading from the same script.

Donald Trump now feels forced to pull a rabbit from a hat every day. To hit a homerun on every at bat. Every speech must be even more extreme than the one before to blot out the fear. But that is an unsustainable path. What can Trump do for an encore? “I’m going to fix it where you won’t have to vote anymore!”

Good plan for rousing the opposition sir. It’s brilliant! Your statement won’t bring you one additional vote but will mobilize millions against you sir. Trump is just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. He is panicked with fear. For you and me, this is just another election of a lifetime, but for Donald Trump this is immediate life or death. If Donald Trump doesn’t win, it’s all over for him. The future is yesterday, and tomorrow is today. No more campaigns or elections, just an endless stream of court dates.

No more political future, just another sad old man living in Florida, just waiting on God to call.

Secretary Buttigieg has appeared on Fox News several times, and always manages to deliver a message that actually stumps the Trump-fluffing Fox interviewer. He expresses himself so plainly and compellingly that it’s even possible that he can get through to some of Fox’s viewers. And in an interview this Sunday Buttigieg demonstrated that ability in grand form. What follows are few choice excerpts from the interview (and a thread of the videos)…

“The idea that somebody hasn’t been tested or vetted when they have been vice president of the United States for nearly four years just doesn’t make any sense. [Harris] is in obviously one of the most visible leadership roles in the country and she’s demonstrated both her effectiveness in that job and a vision for the country that Americans agree with. And that’s the real reason I think she’s going to win.”

“[Trump] actually did keep two promises: He kept his promise to destroy the right to choose in this country, and he kept his promise on tax cuts to the rich … he lies all the time.”

“Unlike Republicans who in Trump’s personality cult will take a look at Donald Trump and say he’s perfectly fine even though he seemed unable to tell the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, even though he’s rambling about electrocuting sharks and Hannibal Lecter. Even though he is clearly older and stranger than he was when America first got to know him, they say he’s strong as an ox, leaps tall buildings in a single bound. We don’t have that kind of warped reality on our side.’

“Crime is down under Joe Biden and crime was up under Donald Trump. Now, I don’t know how often that gets reported on this network, so if you’re watching this at home, do yourself a favor and look up the data.”

Throughout most of this interview, Buttigieg had to cope with host Shannon Bream repeatedly interrupting him with attempts to push Republican  lies. And he smacked down her bullshit.

Buttigieg may not be at the top of the VP short list. He doesn’t have the ability to bring along a victory in a swing state. And being gay will probably (and unfortunately) be seen as too much of a progressive lean on the Democratic ticket. But there is no one better to face independent, and even right-leaning, voters on the campaign trail. He can continue a sort of residency at Fox News, while holding rallies in swing states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, and other Midwest neighbors to his home of Indiana.

Buttigieg would also be a good candidate for another Cabinet post in the Harris administration. He has experience and credentials that would qualify him for Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services. And although he doesn’t have a background in journalism, he might make a darn good Communications Director.