Former President Donald Trump accused Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris of misleading voters about her race, according to AP News.
Trump made the statement while speaking before the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago in a Wednesday interview. He claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian-American to serve as vice president, had only promoted her Indian heritage in the past.
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?
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the United States. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the most prominent historically Black universities in the country, where she also joined the Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Trump has widely criticised Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the likely Democratic ticket last week. Michael Tyler, communications director for Harris’ campaign, said that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power.”
Katrina Pierson, a spokeswoman for Trump’s campaign, pointed to his previous political donation to Harris as proof that he was not a racist.
“The president, as a private businessman, donated to candidates across all aisles. And I’ll note that Kamala Harris is a Black woman and he donated to her campaign, so I hope we can squash this racism argument now.”
Fighting for Black voter support
Before he took the stage, Trump’s team showed news headlines from years ago that referred to Harris as the “first Indian-American senator” on the arena’s big screen. Trump’s appearance on Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black journalists was immediately heated, sparking a number of altercations.
I think it’s disgraceful. I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country.
The former president’s invitation to address the organisation sparked an intense internal debate within NABJ that spilled out onto the Internet. Organisations of journalists of colour typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings during election years.
Harris briefly commented on Trump’s remarks on Wednesday night while speaking at a gathering of Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically Black sorority, in Houston.
“It was the same old show. The divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better.”
