In an attack that caused outrage, Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump questioned the African-American identity of his rival Kamala Harris. Harris always described herself as Indian, but “then she suddenly did a U-turn and became black,” the former president said on Wednesday at an event with African-American journalists in Chicago. The White House called the comments “repulsive” and “insulting.”
Harris, the daughter of a cancer researcher from India and an economist from Jamaica, has always identified as both Indian and African-American. She studied at Howard University in Washington, a traditionally African-American university.
However, Trump now claimed that his likely opponent in the November presidential election only began describing herself as black later in her career in order to gain political advantages.
“She was always of Indian descent and only advertised with Indian descent,” the right-wing populist said at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) event. “I didn’t know she was black” until Harris “turned black” a few years ago, Trump continued. “So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?” Trump also asked, adding: “I respect both, but obviously not her.”
Shortly afterwards, during an appearance in Houston, Texas, Harris condemned her opponent’s statements as an attempt to fuel divisions in the country. “The American people deserve better,” she said. “We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us, that they are a fundamental source of our strength.”
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre reacted more sharply: She called Trump’s comments “repulsive” and “insulting.” “No one has the right to tell someone who they are or how they identify,” Jean-Pierre said.
Harris is the first woman and the first person of African-American and Asian descent to hold the office of Vice President. It is not the first time that Trump has tried to score points with provocative false statements about the origins of a political opponent.
The right-wing populist once questioned whether Barack Obama, the first black president in US history, was born in the USA – which meant that Obama should not have become president. Obama, who was born in the US state of Hawaii, felt compelled to publish his birth certificate under pressure from Trump. Trump later questioned the authenticity of this document.
During the current election campaign, Trump also accused the vice president of being anti-Semitic. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.
Trump’s appearance at the NABJ was extremely heated. At the beginning, ABC News journalist Rachel Scott confronted him with his previous defamatory comments about African Americans, citing the doubts Trump had sown about Obama’s American origins.
Trump then accused Scott of having started his speech in a “terrible” and “rude” manner. He then claimed to have done more for the black population than any other US president since Abraham Lincoln – who abolished slavery in 1863.
Trump has attacked Harris in various ways in recent days. He mocked her frequent laughter, called her “crazy” and a “radical leftist” and spread the blatant false claim that she wanted to “execute” newborns.
The changing attacks show that Trump and his Republicans have not yet found a clear line on how they want to deal with Harris in the election campaign. The vice president’s approval ratings in the polls have improved significantly since 81-year-old President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he would not run for re-election after weeks of debate about his mental state and endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
Since then, the 59-year-old has been working purposefully toward her nomination for the election on November 5. This Thursday, an electronic vote by the Democratic Party delegates on her nomination is scheduled to begin, for which five days are scheduled. Harris is the only candidate and, according to party headquarters, has already received the support of 99 percent of the participating delegates in the nomination process so far.
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