--- title: Donald Trump Asked Reporter if She Would Set Up a Meeting description: President Trump asked a black reporter if the members of the Congressional Black Caucus are "friends of yours" canonical: https://time.com/4673970/donald-trump-april-ryan-black-lawmakers/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-16T20:35:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T11:49:45.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Asked a Black Reporter to Set Up a Meeting With Black Lawmakers og:description: "Are they friends of yours?" og:url: https://time.com/4673970/donald-trump-april-ryan-black-lawmakers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltae4884fad78a5913/6988bab9bc6cfc335d3e0325/donald-trump11.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CONGRESS og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Asked a Black Reporter to Set Up a Meeting With Black Lawmakers twitter:description: "Are they friends of yours?" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltae4884fad78a5913/6988bab9bc6cfc335d3e0325/donald-trump11.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Asked a Black Reporter to Set Up a Meeting With Black Lawmakers > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d618f026-fca3-422c-99f6-9bbc663ba869&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch Trump's Trumpiest Comments From That Press Conference [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Trump's Trumpiest Comments From That Press Conference](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pq1mKHYq.m3u8) (1:40)  _Published 2017-02-16. President Trump held a loose, combative press conference that touched on his views on Russia, the first weeks of his Administration and his views on the media._ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:49 AM UTCPublished: Feb 16, 2017 8:35 PM UTC by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:49 AM UTCPublished: Feb 16, 2017 8:35 PM UTC President Trump asked a black reporter if the members of the Congressional Black Caucus are “friends of yours,” pressing her on whether she would set up a meeting with them for him. At an [hour-plus press conference Thursday](http://time.com/4673624/donald-trump-press-conference-combative/), Trump was asked by April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks if he would involve the Congressional Black Caucus when [making plans for executive orders](http://time.com/4673624/donald-trump-press-conference-combative/) affecting inner city areas. Trump at first didn’t understand the question, as Ryan referred to the organization of black lawmakers by its initials, the CBC, and she had to restate the question. “Well, I would. I tell you what. Do you want to set up the meeting? Do you want to set up the meeting?” he asked. “No, no, no,” Ryan replied. “I’m just a reporter.” “Are they friends of yours?” he asked. “Let’s go, set up a meeting. I would love to meet with the Black Caucus … I think it’s great,” he said. Trump and the Congressional Black Caucus have not yet met, although White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in January that [a plan for a meeting was in the works](http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article131330789.html). The CBC responded on Twitter, saying it had sent Trump a letter but received no response: > [](https://twitter.com/OfficialCBC/status/832316384260526081) ## Transcript As you know, our administration inherited many problems across government and across the economy. To be honest, I inherited a mess, it's a mess. At home and abroad, a mess. I turned on the TV, opened the newspapers. And I see stories of chaos. Chaos, yet it is the exact opposite this administration is running like a fine- tuned machine. We; re becoming a drug infested nation. Drugs are becoming cheaper that candy bars. We're not gonna let it happen any longer. Are you going to include the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus? Well I would. I tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting? Do you want to set up the meeting Are they friend of yours? No, no, no, I'm just a reporter. No, set up the meeting. Number one, I am the least anti- Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life Number two, racism, the least racist person. You mentioned the vessel, the spy vessel, off the coast of the United States. Not good. I was given that information. I don't know. I was just given. I own nothing in Russia. I have no loans in Russia. I don't have any deals in Russia. The whole Russian thing, that's a ruse. It's a ruse. Hillary Clinton did a reset, remember? With the stupid plastic button that made us look like a bunch of jerks. I watch CNN, it's so much anger and hatred and just the hatred. The leaks are absolutely real. 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