What Trump Did/Didn’t Do With the NABJ Opportunity

Donald Trump deserves credit for fielding questions from the National Association of Black Journalists. His opponent was conspicuously absent. What he did with that opportunity was another story. Bristling at the hostile reception he received, Trump repeatedly called his interlocutors “rude.” The headlines were dominated by his claim, backed up by his campaign, that Kamala Harris only recently started identifying herself as black after previously identifying as Indian American. It is true that like many people and especially politicians, Harris has emphasized different aspects of her ethnic background at different times and in different situations. Trump’s approach will offend some voters, reasonably, while not winning him any new supporters. He should be working to define Harris by her record, character, proposals, and personality—quickly.

◼ His running mate, Senator J. D. Vance (R., Ohio), is on the defensive for his years of remarks about the “sociopathic” influence of “childless cat ladies” on our politics and culture. He has said that taxes should be higher for childless adults and that parents should be given additional votes to cast for their children. The first proposal is debatable—U.S. tax policy has long included it, with bipartisan support—but the comments were obnoxious. Many good citizens have no children, not all of them voluntarily. There are many ways that government policy could and should be changed to enable families to form and thrive. Attacking and shaming those without children should play no part in that effort.

◼ It seems that many of Vance’s economic views come from his ruminations on kitchen appliances. He has said that an old refrigerator he used to have proved that “economics is fake” because it could keep lettuce fresh for longer than newer fridges. Now he says, in his stump speech, that “We believe that a million cheap, knockoff toasters aren’t worth the price of a single American manufacturing job.” A single one? Republicans should be cooking with a little bit more gas than this.

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