Trump in Chicago: Former president to attend National Association of Black Journalists Convention
CHICAGO - Former President Donald Trump is set to attend the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) annual Convention & Career Fair in Chicago on Wednesday.
According to his campaign, Trump will engage in a Q&A session with political journalists, focusing on the most pressing issues facing the Black community.
The event, scheduled for noon, will feature an audience of registered convention attendees and will be moderated by Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News; Harris Faulkner, anchor of "The Faulkner Focus" and co-host of "Outnumbered" on FOX News; and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor.
"We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most," NABJ President Ken Lemon said in a statement. "While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know."
The session will not be open to the general public but will be live-streamed on NABJ’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Vice President Kamala Harris has also been invited to participate, with her confirmation pending.
Mayor Brandon Johnson denounced Trump's agenda on X but said safety measures will be in place for his visit.
"My administration's values and practice are in complete opposition to former President Donald Trump's agenda, but I want the people of Chicago to know that City departments and agencies are fully prepared to uphold safety during his scheduled visit on Wednesday," the tweet read.
Trump’s campaign has spent months scheduling appearances in areas outside his traditional strongholds of support, including when he attended — and was roundly booed at — the Libertarian Party convention in Washington earlier this year.
In its announcement, the campaign trumpeted Trump policies that it argued benefited Black Americans during his first term.
President Joe Biden has seen his favorability rate among Black voters fall dramatically since he took office in 2021. But the race against Trump has been shaken up since the president stepped aside and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris — who would be the first Black woman and the first South Asian American to be elected president if she wins in November.
During a visit to Chicago in 2016, Trump was set to hold a campaign rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Protests broke out and the event was suddenly canceled due to security concerns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.