You know Trump’s appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists was bad because Black Trump worshiper Harris Faulkner couldn’t come up with anything positive to say about his remarks.

Something tells me Donald Trump’s appearance at the NABJ will do nothing to help him with Black voters. Here’s how The New York Times partially summed it up:

The event proved to be one of the most unusual appearances of the presidential campaign so far. Mr. Trump has favored friendly appearances with conservative television, radio and podcast hosts, but he had ample warning that the panel awaiting him in Chicago would be tough. Facing three Black women, he insulted the first Black woman on the top of a major-party ticket and seemed perfectly comfortable disparaging his hosts, even as he tried to appeal to Black voters as their best choice for safeguarding Black well-being.

I can just imagine what would happen if Kamala Harris appeared at some conservative journalists’ confab and behaved the way Trump did but attacked them over white privilege. But this was Fox’s fave felonious p***y grabber, so…

Immediately after the s**t show, anchor Bret Baier praised Trump for “going into the proverbial lion’s den.” Then he attacked the questioners for not being as fair as himself: “You know I had a harsh, at times, tough interview with him, asking tough but fair questions and I think some of those questions obviously very fair, down the middle. Others had a different tone to them and he reacted how he thought the tone was coming at him.” (My Crooks and Liars colleague Heather wrote about Baier’s part of the clean-up brigade here, though it may not yet be published.)

A little later, Harris Faulkner offered her take to host Martha MacCallum. Faulkner was one of the three on-stage journalists asking Trump questions.

I have written many, many times about Faulkner’s worshipful devotion to Trump. The fact that she had nothing good to say about his appearance at NABJ spoke volumes.

Not that Faulkner uttered a peep of actual criticism.

Faulkner began by saying it was “really important” for Americans to know that “much of that audience was enjoying the moment of hearing from a candidate that they might not always agree with.” In my book, that doesn’t even rise to the level of faint praise for her beloved felon.

Then she began making excuses. After bringing up technical issues, she said, “Now it did get a little chippy” because sometimes politicians “don't always answer the question that you asked.” She then switched to putting Kamala Harris in a bad light, saying that the border ‘is an issue that they will continue to hit her hard on - Republicans in general and particularly this former president. I know she's trying to turn the tables and make it about the legislation that has not passed, blaming Republicans for that. But what about the porous border and that's where he went.”

Again, not even faint praise for the p***y grabber.

MacCallum moved on to play some clips of Trump, including his claim, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.” At the start of the segment, she had played a clip of Trump falsely claiming that Harris “was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person.” (Harris went to the historically Black Howard University and is a member of a Black women’s sorority.)

MacCallum specifically asked Faulkner to comment on Trump’s Abraham Lincoln nonsense and whether Harris is Indian or Black.

Faulkner ducked both questions. First, she called it “an interesting journey” to interview Trump but “you’ve got to keep pressing.” (She could use a dose of her own medicine.) She added that “there was a little bit of contention” about whether or not he could hear the questions and that he had answered her question about Black people and the economy (one of the clips MacCallum had played).

Then she merely reiterated, “it was chippy at times.” But, for the most part, Faulkner claimed, “they were laughing and they were getting kind of what they didn't have before this. So that was a conduit to a man that they see a lot on TV but don't know a lot about his policies. Kamala Harris and President Trump, they're going to be an interesting debate. If and when that should happen.” It's hard to believe Black journalists don't know much about Trump's policies. But, of course, MacCallum let the dig stand.

It was clear Faulkner didn’t want to touch Trump’s racist attack on Harris or his self-comparison to Abraham Lincoln.

MacCallum moved on to asking Faulkner for her thoughts about J.D. Vance and his now-infamous attacks on childless women.

Don’t forget, Rupert Murdoch didn’t want Vance as the running mate. There is reportedly Vance-remorse in MAGA world.

Faulkner responded that she had asked Trump about why he chose Vance and also whether he would be ready to step into Trump’s shoes should something happen to him. “He did not answer that question,” Faulkner said. “He answered it, around it but he did not answer my question.”

MacCallum swooped in with an excusel: “Well, I know he was having a little bit of trouble hearing you at some points,” she said.

In another segment, MacCallum got testy on Trump's behalf with Democrat Jessica Tarlov when she called out Trump’s attack on Harris’ ethnicity. (This post, also by my colleague, Heather, was not yet published as I write this.)

MACCALLUM: We all know, all right, look, she has an Indian mother and a Jamaican father...

TARLOV: She's Black!

MACCALLUM: ...I don't know why we have to...

TARLOV: But...

MACCALLUM: ...she has an Indian mother and a Black father. So those are two different backgrounds.

You may recall that Fox has described both MacCallum and Baier as representing “ultimate journalistic integrity.”

It’s a sad day for “journalistic integrity” when Harris Faulkner shows more of that than the network’s two supposed standard bearers.

You can watch it below, from the July 31, 2024 The Story with Martha MacCallum.