As Trump, Harris pitch to Black voters, expert says demographic will be key come November

WASHINGTON (TND) — Donald Trump sat with the National Association of Black Journalists for Wednesday's annual gathering. There was immediate tension.

I think it’s a very nasty question, I have answered the question, I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln. That’s my answer," Trump said when replying to a question from ABC News Correspondent Rachel Scott, who was moderating the panel.

NABJ inviting Trump had divided its members because of his history of animosity with some black journalists covering his administration. Vice President Kamala Harris was also absent because of a scheduling conflict. The forum gave Trump access to the Black community, and he immediately questioned his likely opponent.

“She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person," Trump said after being asked if he agreed with some Republicans that Harris was a "D.E.I. hire."

D.E.I. stands for "diversity, equity, and inclusion." Harris' father is Jamaican and her mother is of Indian descent. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted in almost real-time.

What he just said, what you just read out to me, it’s repulsive, it’s insulting," Jean-Pierre told reporters after being relayed Trump's comments.

Republicans were hoping to keep peeling away minority support from Democrats, while Democrats are trying to win it back.

President Joe Biden had been struggling with the group that had carried him to victory in the past, but Kamala Harris might change the equation. She appeared at a high-energy rally in Atlanta, Georgia this week along with hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion and rapper Quavo as she hopes to put Georgia back in play.

The path to the White House runs right through this state," she told the crowd on Tuesday night.

Georgetown Political Scientist Dr. Nadia Brown says the outreach from both parties to the Black community will be key down the stretch.

“Democrats nor Republicans are going to win the elections simply on minority votes, but Democrats win elections if they have minorities on their side, and if they don’t, they’ll lose those elections," she said.

The question is if the momentum for Harris is real or just in the honeymoon phase for a new candidate, and whether or not Donald Trump can break it.