Connect with us

Politics

Vance brands Harris a 'coward'; Trump dinged for 'attacks and insults' as campaigns war after fiery event

Published

on

Vance brands Harris a 'coward'; Trump dinged for 'attacks and insults' as campaigns war after fiery event

The Trump and Harris campaigns mixed it up on X on Wednesday afternoon after the former president’s heated appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists’ conference in Chicago, and the Republican vice presidential nominee blasted Vice President Harris as a “coward.”

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency, while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in,” Harris campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said in a statement after the event.

“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,” Tyler continued. “It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as Vice President Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans. All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10.”

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, fired back, saying the former president “walked right into the NABJ conference and showed he had the courage to take tough questions, while Kamala Harris continues to hide from any scrutiny or unfriendly media like the coward she is.”

1 OF THESE 5 DEMOCRATS COULD BE HARRIS’ RUNNING MATE

Advertisement

During the event, Trump clashed with ABC News reporter Rachel Scott, accusing her of asking a “nasty question” and referring to the Disney-owned network as “fake news.”

Trump participated in a Q&A with Scott, Semafor reporter Kadia Goba and Fox News Channel anchor Harris Faulkner. The event caused ripples before it began because many Black journalists objected to Trump even being invited in the first place. Once it began, Scott kicked things off by “addressing the elephant in the room.”

“A lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today,” Scott said. “You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals, from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, saying that they were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have told four congresswomen of color who were American citizens to go back to where they came from. 

“You have used words like animal and rabid to describe Black district attorneys. You attack Black journalists, calling them a loser, saying the questions that they ask are, quote, stupid and racist. You’ve had dinner with a White supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort. So, my question, sir, now that you are asking black supporters to vote for you, why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that?”

TRUMP CLASHES WITH ABC NEWS REPORTER OVER ‘NASTY QUESTION,’ BLASTS ‘FAKE NEWS NETWORK’ DURING HEATED Q&A

Advertisement

Former President Trump clashed with ABC News reporter Rachel Scott, accusing her of asking a “nasty question” and referring to the Disney-owned network as “fake news” at the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention in Chicago on Wednesday. (Fox News)

Trump shot back at Scott, saying he’s “never been asked a question in such a horrible manner.”

“I love the Black population of this country,” Trump said. “I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country, including employment, including opportunity zones, with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, which is one of the greatest programs ever for Black workers and Black entrepreneurs. I’ve done so much, you know. And I say this, historically Black colleges and universities were out of money.”

“And let me go a step further,” Trump added. “I was invited here, and I was told my opponent, whether it was Biden or Kamala. I was told my opponent was going to be here. It turned out my opponent isn’t here. You invited me on under false pretense.

“And then you were half an hour late, just so we understand. I have too much respect for you to be late. They couldn’t get their equipment working or something.”

Advertisement

2024 AD WARS: TRUMP, HARRIS RACE TO DEFINE VICE PRESIDENT

Former President Trump appears at the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention in Chicago on Wednesday. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“Mr. President, I would love if you could answer the question,” Scott said, again asking why Black voters should trust him for another term. 

“I think it’s a very nasty question,” Trump shot back. “I have answered the question. I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”

Advertisement

Former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton attended NABJ conventions in the past, either as presidents or presidential candidates.

Trump posted on Truth Social following the NABJ event, saying of Scott, “The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!”

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

Politics

Trump plans to meet with Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado next week

Published

on

Trump plans to meet with Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado next week

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Washington next week.

During an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Trump was asked if he intends to meet with Machado after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro.

“Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump said.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves a national flag during a protest called by the opposition on the eve of the presidential inauguration, in Caracas on January 9, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

Advertisement

This will be Trump’s first meeting with Machado, who the U.S. president stated “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to lead.

According to reports, Trump’s refusal to support Machado was linked to her accepting the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump believed he deserved.

But Trump later told NBC News that while he believed Machado should not have won the award, her acceptance of the prize had “nothing to do with my decision” about the prospect of her leading Venezuela.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

California sues Trump administration over ‘baseless and cruel’ freezing of child-care funds

Published

on

California sues Trump administration over ‘baseless and cruel’ freezing of child-care funds

California is suing the Trump administration over its “baseless and cruel” decision to freeze $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family assistance allocated to California and four other Democratic-led states, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Thursday.

The lawsuit was filed jointly by the five states targeted by the freeze — California, New York, Minnesota, Illinois and Colorado — over the Trump administration’s allegations of widespread fraud within their welfare systems. California alone is facing a loss of about $5 billion in funding, including $1.4 billion for child-care programs.

The lawsuit alleges that the freeze is based on unfounded claims of fraud and infringes on Congress’ spending power as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This is just the latest example of Trump’s willingness to throw vulnerable children, vulnerable families and seniors under the bus if he thinks it will advance his vendetta against California and Democratic-led states,” Bonta said at a Thursday evening news conference.

The $10-billion funding freeze follows the administration’s decision to freeze $185 million in child-care funds to Minnesota, where federal officials allege that as much as half of the roughly $18 billion paid to 14 state-run programs since 2018 may have been fraudulent. Amid the fallout, Gov. Tim Walz has ordered a third-party audit and announced that he will not seek a third term.

Advertisement

Bonta said that letters sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcing the freeze Tuesday provided no evidence to back up claims of widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in California. The freeze applies to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Social Services Block Grant program and the Child Care and Development Fund.

“This is funding that California parents count on to get the safe and reliable child care they need so that they can go to work and provide for their families,” he said. “It’s funding that helps families on the brink of homelessness keep roofs over their heads.”

Bonta also raised concerns regarding Health and Human Services’ request that California turn over all documents associated with the state’s implementation of the three programs. This requires the state to share personally identifiable information about program participants, a move Bonta called “deeply concerning and also deeply questionable.”

“The administration doesn’t have the authority to override the established, lawful process our states have already gone through to submit plans and receive approval for these funds,” Bonta said. “It doesn’t have the authority to override the U.S. Constitution and trample Congress’ power of the purse.”

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan and marked the 53rd suit California had filed against the Trump administration since the president’s inauguration last January. It asks the court to block the funding freeze and the administration’s sweeping demands for documents and data.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Video: Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela

Published

on

Video: Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela

new video loaded: Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela

transcript

transcript

Trump Says ‘Only Time Will Tell’ How Long U.S. Controls Venezuela

President Trump did not say exactly how long the the United states would control Venezuela, but said that it could last years.

“How Long do you think you’ll be running Venezuela?” “Only time will tell. Like three months. six months, a year, longer?” “I would say much longer than that.” “Much longer, and, and —” “We have to rebuild. You have to rebuild the country, and we will rebuild it in a very profitable way. We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need. I would love to go, yeah. I think at some point, it will be safe.” “What would trigger a decision to send ground troops into Venezuela?” “I wouldn’t want to tell you that because I can’t, I can’t give up information like that to a reporter. As good as you may be, I just can’t talk about that.” “Would you do it if you couldn’t get at the oil? Would you do it —” “If they’re treating us with great respect. As you know, we’re getting along very well with the administration that is there right now.” “Have you spoken to Delcy Rodríguez?” “I don’t want to comment on that, but Marco speaks to her all the time.”

Advertisement
President Trump did not say exactly how long the the United states would control Venezuela, but said that it could last years.

January 8, 2026

Continue Reading

Trending