The Trump campaign touted the former president's tense appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention on Thursday, stating he embodied his own recently coined adage, "Fight, fight, fight!"
Trump 2024 deputy communications director Caroline Sunshine appeared on Fox News Channel’s "The Faulkner Focus" to hammer home what she called the differences between Trump’s "fight, fight, fight" approach to campaigning for the White House, and Vice President Kamala Harris’ "fake, fake, fake" approach. Harris did not appear at the event despite being invited.
"I thought it was a masterclass from President Trump in how you fight, fight, fight, and tell the truth," Sunshine told anchor Harris Faulkner, referencing the three words Trump shouted to his supporters after being shot by his would-be assassin on July 13 in Pennsylvania.
Trump was interviewed by ABC News reporter Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba about his policies affecting the African American community. His appearance was marked by moments of tension and controversy, notably his verbal sparring with Scott, whom he said used a "nasty tone" after she opened the discussion by accusing the president of attacking Black journalists, politicians and voters.
Trump also grilled Harris for not showing up, telling Scott, "I was invited here, and I was told my opponent, whether it was Biden or Kamala, I was told my opponent was going to be here. It turned out my opponent isn't here. You invited me on under false pretense."
While the media has condemned Trump’s rhetoric during the interview, Sunshine couched the president’s performance as proof of his determination to fight for the American people despite the obstacles.
"The word of the day is ‘fake, fake, fake,’ versus ‘fight, fight, fight,’" the Trump surrogate stated. "President Trump says it better than I ever could and onstage in Pennsylvania last night, you heard him say, ‘This election is between fake, fake, fake, and fight, fight, fight.'"
Sunshine called out Harris as fake, noting her absence at the NABJ event is more proof of her lack of authenticity.
"She allows the fake news media to do her bidding and carry water for her, so that she never has to show up and take tough questions from journalists," she said.
Sunshine called Trump’s interview performance a "masterclass" and bashed the media’s performance in that exchange, stating it was "yet another textbook case study in how the mainstream liberal media’s bias plays out."