DOWNTOWN — Michigan Avenue was more bustling than normal Wednesday as hundreds swarmed Downtown in anticipation of an event with former President Donald Trump.
The National Association of Black Journalists announced Monday evening it would kick off its annual convention and career fair with a Q&A panel featuring the Republican presidential candidate noon Wednesday. The Monday announcement was met with fiery pushback from local and national reporters — and Chicagoans have also expressed concerns about Trump’s visit given the city’s rocky history with the former president.
After a roughly hour-long delay, Trump’s talk with convention attendees got off to a heated start as the former president accused the National Association of Black Journalists of inviting him under “false pretenses” and beginning the panel over an hour late “because they couldn’t get their equipment working.”
Around 100 protesters gathered outside Trump’s event at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave., and Trump supporters could also be seen waving banners and gathering near the convention.
Though Trump’s presence drew a large crowd at the convention, attendees’ feelings were mixed. A convention dedicated to uplifting Black media members will now draw a national crowd, create safety concerns and give center stage to someone who routinely disparages Black journalists, reporters said.
Leaders of the National Association of Black Journalists defended the decision, saying they typically invite presidential nominees from both major parties in an election year.
Association leaders announced Wednesday morning they were “in conversation” with presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, the current vice president, for a virtual or in-person Q&A “at some point in September 2024,” according to a statement.
Protesters — And Trump Supporters — Gather Outside Convention
Many of the 100-plus protesters gathered outside the Trump event Wednesday were with the Coalition to March on the DNC, an organization coalescing over 150 leftist groups planning to rally against the Democratic convention next month in Chicago.
Two of those groups, the US Palestinian Community Network and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, were represented at Wednesday’s rally. Although the coalition’s main goals align with protesting the Democratic Party, they’re unified in their opposition to former President Trump’s policies, which organizers at the rally called “racist” and “fascistic.”
Protesters chanted disparaging remarks about Trump as well as pro-Palestinian slogans as Palestinian and Irish flags flapped in the wind. A group of brass players gathered to play a rendition of “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, singing “Trump’s not like us!”
“The main reason we’re here is to tell Trump that racists and fascists aren’t welcome in the city of Chicago,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the DNC Coalition and National Chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. “The other thing we want the world to know is that even though we’re the main organizers in the coalition to march on the DNC, both parties are complicit in the genocide of Palestinians and sending weapons to Israel.”
Some protesters objected to the convention giving Trump more media attention.
“The way Trump won in 2016 was because the media gave him such a platform, so anytime he shows up, we’re going to be out here, because we believe that the real opposition to Trump and the Republicans comes from the grassroots organizing, not the Democrats,” said Kobi Guillory, an organizer with the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Oppression.
Some supporters of the Republican nominee gathered in Trump-themed gear hours before Wednesday’s event. A few far right protesters appeared in front of the hotel, chanting “Black Maga!” to a small crowd that formed.
“Joe Biden had the nerve to say, ‘If you don’t vote for me, you’re not Black,’” Saleem Sanford, a self-proclaimed ‘Black Maga’ activist from the South Side, yelled emphatically in front of the Hilton. “You know Black people love chicken, right? We can’t buy it anymore! It costs 11 dollars for four chicken wings!”
Heavy security checks monitored by Chicago police and the Secret Service greeted journalists as they entered the hotel’s ballroom.
“We have additional Chicago Police resources in the area to protect all NABJ convention attendees, as well as everyone who lives and works in the area,” police said in a statement to Block Club. “We are working closely with our partners at the Secret Service to ensure the site is secured.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson tweeted Tuesday that the city was prepared to “uphold safety” during Trump’s appearance.
“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 mayor said Tuesday.
Trump will answer questions about “the most pressing issues facing the Black community,” according to a statement from the National Association of Black Journalists.
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, will moderate the event. Local Black publications were noticeably missing from the bill.
PolitiFact, Black News and Views and Student Multimedia Projects will provide live fact-checking updates, according to a statement from the National Association of Black Journalists.
The event is not open to the public but will be streamed on the organization’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Viewers can find live updates online by visiting bit.ly/NABJ24ConversationWithTrump or by following #NABJFactCheck on socials.
Trump, who frequently derides Chicago, rarely comes to the city that overwhelmingly voted for his opponents in the past two presidential elections.
He came to town as president in 2019 to speak at a conference for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, criticizing Supt. Eddie Johnson and saying “Afghanistan is a safer place” than Chicago. Before that, he’d not held a public event in Chicago since protesters forced him to cancel a rally in March 2016.
Charles Thrush contributed reporting.
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