At the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated interview was delayed by over an hour, sparking a heated behind-the-scenes exchange. NABJ President Ken Lemon revealed that Trump’s refusal to take the stage was due to his aversion to live fact-checking, not technical problems as claimed by Trump’s team.
Lemon told Axios that Trump’s representatives demanded that the fact-checking be removed from the event. “They said, ‘Can you not fact-check? He’s not going to take the stage if you fact-check,’” Lemon explained.
The delay pushed back Trump’s appearance with a panel of Black journalists, including ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba. Although Trump initially cited “audio problems” for the holdup, Lemon clarified that while there were indeed technical issues, they were swiftly resolved.
“The real issue was Trump’s insistence on avoiding fact-checking,” Lemon said. “We could not allow him to appear on stage without it.”
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As the situation escalated, NABJ officials were prepared to address the audience of nearly 2,000 attendees, explaining Trump’s absence if necessary. Lemon even began drafting a statement to inform the crowd about the impasse.
In the end, Trump did appear on stage, but not before NABJ leaders made it clear that they would not compromise on their fact-checking policies.
Trump’s campaign disputed Lemon’s account, with spokesperson Steven Cheung asserting that they waited “for close to 40 minutes while audio/technical issues were fixed by NABJ.” Audio issues were evident during the event, but Lemon asserts that the primary dispute was over the fact-checking.
Adding to the controversy, Trump’s team requested that NABJ not post fact-checking details on social media or allow moderators to mention the fact-checking process. Despite these requests, ABC’s Rachel Scott discussed the fact-checking on stage, and NABJ had previously announced its intention to fact-check the interview.
The incident has sparked debate among NABJ members about the organization’s decision to invite Trump. While some members felt the event was an embarrassment and questioned the effectiveness of the interview, others defended the decision as part of NABJ’s commitment to providing a platform for all candidates.
Brittany Cummings, a communications professional and NABJ member, criticized the invitation, saying, “I’m not sure that any group of journalists has the ‘secret sauce’ to make him tell the truth and speak as a normal candidate would.”
Despite the controversy, Lemon emphasized that NABJ stood firm in its commitment to journalistic integrity. “Our whole team stood our ground,” he said.
