Donald Trump 'ran into Blackness and felt it' at Black journalists' convention, mayor says

Mayor Brandon Johnson bashed Donald Trump hours after Trump’s combative interview with Black reporters in Chicago on Wednesday, labeling the GOP nominee for president a liar who “ran into Blackness and felt it.”

Johnson made his remarks during the opening ceremony of the National Association of Black Journalists conference at the Hilton Chicago, telling the crowd “there was an elephant in this room” that he needed to address.

“Let me be very clear about who Donald Trump is; he is someone who can sit comfortable in our pain,” Johnson said. “And the reason he can sit comfortably in our pain is because he sits in the principality of lies. It’s his being, it’s his character.”

Trump’s question-and-answer session at the conference Wednesday afternoon quickly went off the rails. Trump repeatedly criticized Rachel Scott, a congressional correspondent for ABC News and the event’s moderator, for her questions.

The former president also questioned the racial identity of Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, and claimed that illegal immigrants are taking “Black jobs,” among other falsehoods. The event was shortened despite it starting more than an hour late.

The Harris campaign did not respond directly to Trump’s comments about her race, but said, “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.”

Responding to backlash about his remarks, Trump’s campaign said the former president “remains defiant in the face of media bias and will continue working to make life better for all Americans regardless of how poorly he’s treated by supporters of Kamala Harris."

Johnson praised Scott during his remarks, applauding her performance. “God bless Rachel Scott,” he said, adding “my wife texted me and said put Rachel Scott in our will."

Trump “ran into Blackness and he felt it, he felt the heat,” Johnson continued. “Keep in mind that this is not only an individual who lies, but he does it repeatedly.”

Johnson highlighted the differences between Trump and Harris, touting the vice president's work battling gun violence and noting that Trump has called for police officers to have immunity from prosecution.

“I’m talking about the difference between a Black woman and someone who sits in the office of lies,” Johnson said.

The NABJ conference set a record for attendance, at 4,181. The conference continues through Sunday.

Contributing: Tina Sfondeles, Mariah Woelfel