Trump questions Harris' ethnicity
Kamala Harris has Indian and Jamaican roots - and it was only a matter of time before Donald Trump would try to instrumentalize his Democratic rival's ethnic heritage. He did so at an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago.
At an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago, Donald Trump questioned the ethnic identity of his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. The Republican presidential candidate claimed that Harris had long only promoted her Indian heritage and had suddenly become black. The White House reacted with head-shaking to the remarks.
"I didn't know she was black until she suddenly became black a few years ago. And now she wants to be known as black," Trump said. The former US president added, "I don't know: Is she Indian or is she black?" He respects both, but Harris herself apparently does not, given her "about-face." "I think someone should look into that," Trump said. Throughout the event, Trump was aggressive and engaged in a heated exchange with the moderators.
Harris is the first woman, the first black person, and the first person of Asian descent to take the oath as US Vice President. She was born in Oakland, California. Her father immigrated to the US from Jamaica to study economics. Her mother, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist, came from India.
That the white former president questioned Harris' identity as a black person in a room full of black journalists and suggested that the Democrat does not truly belong and is only pandering to black voters for political gain is bizarre. Political commentators, even from the Republican camp, criticized Trump for alienating potential black voters. A unnamed Republican congressman told the news portal "Axios" that Trump's appearance was "terrible."
Trump also pushed conspiracy theories about Obama
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, reacted to a question about Trump's remarks with disbelief: "Wow," said Jean-Pierre, who is black herself. What Trump said was appalling. "It's offensive, and no one has the right to tell someone who they are," Jean-Pierre said.
Trump had already given racist conspiracy theories about Harris room in 2020 before her inauguration, questioning whether she was even eligible to become vice president because her parents were not US citizens at her birth.
Years earlier, Trump had also promoted conspiracy theories questioning former President Barack Obama's birthplace and thus his eligibility for the highest office. Trump was one of the most prominent proponents of the theory that Obama was born in Kenya, not in the US state of Hawaii, where he was actually born. Obama was the first black president of the United States.
Despite being the first woman, the first black person, and the first person of Asian descent to become US Vice President, Kamala Harris faced questions about her ethnic identity from former President Trump during an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists. Trump's comments about Harris' ethnicity and his suggestion that she was only promoting her Indian heritage and suddenly became black drew criticism from political commentators and Republican figures, such as an unnamed congressman who called his appearance "terrible."
Moreover, Trump's comments about Harris' ethnicity echoed his previous conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama's birthplace and eligibility to be the President, as he also questioned Obama's legitimacy due to his Kenyan heritage.
