Is she Black or Indian? During the Black Journalists' Convention, Trump queries Harris' identity
July 31, Reuters, CHICAGO, HOUSTON, HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania At the nation's largest seasonal conference of Black journalists on Wednesday, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made false claims that Democratic opponent Kamala Harris had previously minimized her Black heritage.
"She solely promoted Indian ancestry; she was of Indian descent from the beginning. "She turned Black a few years ago, and now she wants to be recognized as Black. I didn't know she was Black," Trump remarked, earning a few jeers from the about 1,000 people in attendance.
I'm not sure if she's Black or Indian, though. Trump carried on. "But you know what, I appreciate either one, but she apparently doesn't, since she was Indian all through, and then all of abruptly she did a turn, and she went - she turned a Black person."
Harris has long identified as both Black and Asian. She is of Indian and Jamaican descent. She is the first Asian American and Black person to hold the position of vice president.
Trump responded by labeling the inquiry as "disgraceful," "hostile," and "horrible," and he dubbed ABC a "fake" network.
"I was the best leader for the Black population throughout the time Abraham Lincoln," he declared, eliciting gasps from the crowd.
Reiterating a phrase from the June presidential debate, Trump said that immigrants entering the country illegally will steal "Black jobs," a statement that some Black leaders found offensive.
"Exactly what is a 'Black job,' sir?" Scott questioned him.
Trump retorted, "Anybody with a job is a Black job."
In addition, Trump said he wasn't sure if Harris had been a "DEI hire," as certain Republicans have suggested.
The Trump team claimed that issues with the event's audio gear were the reason the interview started more than an hour later than scheduled. During the conversation, there were moments when Trump and the moderators couldn't hear one another.The moderators reported that the campaign declared he had been out of time, bringing the hour-long session to a sudden conclusion after roughly 35 minutes.
Before Trump took the stage at a rally in Harrisburg later on Wednesday, old news items showcasing Harris' Indian-American background—rather than her Black heritage—were displayed on the arena's screens. Trump made no mention of his remarks regarding Harris' ethnic origin.
After releasing a video showing Harris supporting a ban on hydraulic fracturing during her unsuccessful 2019 presidential campaign, Trump accused Harris of being responsible for the spike in immigration that occurred under the Biden administration. According to her campaign, should she win the presidency, she would not outlaw hydraulic fracturing.
