That set the tone for a contentious interview during which the questioners pushed back repeatedly, often tussling with Trump and rebutting his assertions.
When Trump said that “illegal aliens” are coming to the United States and being given the opportunity to vote, Scott responded that “only American citizens are allowed to vote.”
When Trump said that Democrats “are allowing abortion in the ninth month” and are “allowing the death of a baby after the baby is born,” Scott responded, “Sir, that is illegal in every state in the country,” while Semafor reporter Kadia Goba countered that “Democrats have denied that.” (Trump made a similar comment during the June 27 presidential debate, receiving no pushback from CNN’s moderators.)
The Trump interview was controversial before it even started, leading to statements of condemnation from prominent Black journalists who decried the NABJ for holding the event at all, claiming it would help “normalize” Trump. (The organization also attempted to book an interview with Vice President Harris.)
Throughout his presidency and in the years that have followed, interviewing Trump has remained a singularly challenging task, with many journalists facing criticism for either not sufficiently challenging his assertions, being too combative in doing so or for talking to him in the first place.
The NABJ moderators received largely positive reviews on social media for their performance Wednesday. “Incredibly proud of @rachelvscott and @kadiagoba today. Substantive but tough questioning.” CNN anchor Abby Phillip wrote on X.
Some commenters likened the performance to the approach taken by political journalist Jonathan Swan, who in the summer of 2020 beguiled Trump with basic follow-up questions and requests for clarifications.
Among the many headlines generated by the interview Wednesday: Trump said a vice-presidential candidate historically “makes no difference” politically when asked by Fox News’s Harris Faulkner about his choice of Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate. Trump also questioned Harris’s racial identity, saying she only recently “became Black.”
When Goba referenced Trump’s divorces in a question about Vance, leading to murmurs from the crowd, the former president defused the tension by saying “at least it was said in a friendly manner.”
Faulkner reacted with an “oh my goodness” when Trump again referenced “this woman” Scott’s “rude” questioning of him. A member of the audience then said loudly, “No, she did not,” to which Trump said, “She was very rude, sir.”
Continuing his criticism of Scott, Trump said her opening question was actually a “statement,” not a question. “I repeated your statements, sir, actually,” Scott replied.
Scott also tussled with Trump over a question about whether he would pardon the individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. “Have you seen that video, sir? You would pardon those rioters?”
After the event concluded, CNN’s Phillip praised the NABJ’s decision to host Trump, which she said “produced one of the newsiest interviews with him this year.”
Political strategist and MSNBC contributor Tim Miller agreed. “This NABJ interview is a great example of why the people who demand that we deplatform Trump are wrong,” he wrote on X.
Fox News commentator Tyrus felt differently about how the moderators performed. Referring to Scott, he said on the network’s 5 p.m. program that “she was there for one reason: to get talking sound bites for the Democrats, trying to get him to be mean and nasty.”
