President Donald Trump appeared in an ABC News town hall on Tuesday night, where he faced tough questions from prospective voters about his record on everything from the virus that's killed nearly 200 thousand Americans to racial injustice that's led millions to mobilize across the United States.
One notable exchange came when Professor Ellesia Blaque pressed Trump regarding his stance on preexisting condition protections in the healthcare sector.
Watch the exchange below.
WATCH: Trump lies directly to a woman concerned about the protections in place for her and millions of other Americans with preexisting conditions.
Trump is fighting in court right now to repeal the ACA, which would eliminate those vital protections. pic.twitter.com/vRwl0QRopT
— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) September 16, 2020
Blaque described a medical condition that spread to her brain, noting that while she would've been eligible for disability payments, she went on to earn multiple degrees and a professorship, but still struggles with insurance and fears what would happen if preexisting condition protections in the Affordable Care Act were removed.
Trump assured Blaque that he is a champion of these protections—a claim he often makes, despite actively fighting the ACA and its subsequent protections in court.
The night following the town hall, Blaque appeared on The Reidout with MSNBC's Joy Reid to describe how the exchange with the President made up her mind as to who would get her vote this November.
Watch below.
The professor emphasized that she wasn't just undecided between candidates, but whether or not she'd vote at all:
"My problem was, I didn't know if I was going to vote or not. It was never a question of will I vote for President Trump or Biden. It was a question of, will I vote or not? And he made up my mind."
She then recounted her car ride home from the town hall, in which her driver discussed his excitement for voting in his first election.
It was that excitement that made up Blaque's mind.
"If he's excited to vote, I have to be excited to vote, too...So, I decided, I'm just going to bite the bullet and vote for Biden and pray that — for once in the lifetime of Black Americans, that things will change as they did under the chief court in the '60s and LBJ. Because we need drastic, drastic change, you know, we can't continue to be abused by people in the street, simply because of the color of our skin, where we live, where we're from, how we speak."
Blaque added that Trump's inability to actively listen to her and answer her question.
"I found the first wall to sit down on and broke down and cried in frustration and anger. Because he didn't answer anyone's question, let alone mine, and he ignored us like we had no value."
People applauded Blaque for her words.
Ms. Blaque, thank you for your sincere effort to get him to answer a question, and for sharing your post-event feelings with the public. It's extremely puzzling that a few million American voters are perfectly happy to have a president who treats them like they have no value.
— Harley Quinn (@HarleyVicQuinn) September 17, 2020
Ellesia Blaque I looked all over for you on Twitter because I wanted to tell you how proud of you I was after I saw you on MSNBC. Trumps comments were disgusting, dismissive, and delusional. This man is crazy. After I heard you and a couple of the others I also cried. Bless you
— Heart 4 Humanity ✨💙🌟💙✨ (@OB1_RNC) September 17, 2020
My heart went out to this amazing woman after she told her story. She is one that needs all our prayers.
— Catherine Petrilli (@CPetrilliAZ) September 17, 2020
This interview gives us insight into the how love works in little but powerful ways.
From Ellesia Blaque's interaction with the new American citizen who drove her home, to Joy Reid's infectious smile and caring words.
This is America.
— 🇺🇸b mcarthur🏳️🌈 (@bmcarthur17) September 17, 2020
People agreed that Trump's indifference toward his constituents reflected further than just one town hall.
Just lies and more lies. He didn't answer her questions or anyone else's, it was total gibberish and embarrassing.
— Debra Moore (@DebraMo35408689) September 17, 2020
Trump does this with every question. He diverts attention to other topics because he cannot answer the questions the way he would like. But if you corner him, he will just lie. You got your answer.
— diana (@deedles5461) September 17, 2020
I would expect nothing more than that from him. He is not capable of empathy. Covid doesn't exist to him. The bad economy doesn't exist to him. Racial injustice doesn't exist to him. You can't expect him to care when he's not capable of it.
— swilly (@Sw1okbrah) September 17, 2020
Of course, because we have no value for Trump. He only cares about people who praise him or give him money. He doesn't care if we live or die.
— Kimberly 🌸 (@kimsuejenn) September 17, 2020
They don't have any value in his eyes unless they support him unconditionally and he can exploit them.
— Quancy Clayborne (@QuancyClayborne) September 17, 2020
The November election is only 47 days away.
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