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Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade said on Thursday that race is not a “winning issue” for Republican nominee Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump attended a question-and-answer session at the the National Association Of Black Journalists (NABJ) 2024 Conference in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, where he was accused of making racist remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris when he said he didn’t realize she was black. Kilmeade said Trump is not focused on race and gender, and was only attacking Harris because she is his political opponent.

“I also don’t think that it’s a winning issue to bring up Kamala Harris – Indian, black, it doesn’t matter. He’s just running against a Democrat. I think the thing is, President Trump is so unaware of race and gender. A lot of people say: ‘Wow you don’t talk to women like that. You don’t talk to minorities like that.’ He said ‘I’m running against that person.’ That’s all he sees. And we all know this by now,” Kilmeade said.

“Not people that know him personally and people that have been in the public who have watched him in the public for the last 8 years : ‘How can you say that to a ‘Unaware Of Race And Gender’: Fox’s Brian Kilmeade Says Race Is Not A ‘Winning Issue’ For Trumpminority? How can you say that to a woman?’ All he sees is ‘I have to win. I don’t like what that person is saying. I cannot believe they are not here and this is where we are,’” Kilmeade continued.

Kilmeade said the “hostile environment” naturally angered Trump and caught him by surprise.

Trump sat down for the interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner, ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Semafor’s Kadia Goba, where the former president particularly came under fire for saying he did not know the incumbent vice president was a black woman.

“Well, I can say no, maybe it’s a little bit different,” Trump said on Wednesday. “So, I have known her a long time indirectly, not directly very much. She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn black, and now she wants to be known as black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?”

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Trump’s attendance at the event sparked outrage among many black people, suggesting the interview was a “colossal mistake” and an “insult” to the community. Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah stepped down as the NABJ co-chair on the day of the interview with Trump.

(Featured image credit: Screenshot/Rumble/Fox News)

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