Presidential candidate Donald Trump made the bold claim that he wasn’t aware of Vice President Kamala Harris’ race and said she “suddenly turned Black” during an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention, MSNBC reports.
During a combative panel discussion conducted by three Black female journalists, Trump said he found out Harris was Black just a few years ago. He then claimed the Vice President, who is Black and Indian American, decided to “turn Black” recently to climb the political ladder.
“I’ve known her a long time, indirectly, and she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said.
“I did not 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.”
ABC News Correspondent Rachel Scott interjected and defended the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, saying “she has always identified as a Black woman”
and pointed out that she’s a graduate of a historically Black college and university, Howard University. But Trump carried on with the false claim.“I respect either one,” he added, “but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and … she became Black. … Somebody should look into that, too,” he continued.
The heated exchange at NABJ happened after Scott questioned the rise in Republicans labeling Harris a “DEI hire,” a term referring to workplace policies promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” The term has transformed into a way to discredit Black people with opposing political views. She asked Trump about his feelings for the slight, and after going on a rant, Trump finally answered, saying he was “not sure.”
The Harris campaign responded following the event, calling his appearance an “absolute disaster.” It wasn’t long before Harris caught wind of her opponent’s comments. While speaking in Houston at a Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Convention, the Vice President described Trump’s comments as “the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect.” “Let me just say, the American people deserve better,” she said.
According to CNN, Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, responded to Trump’s false claims and said they reflect “a worse version of an already horrible person.”
“The insults, the B.S. – it’s horrible, it’s terrible, it shows a lack of character – but it’s a distraction,” Emhoff said.
“It’s about what’s at stake in this election.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared similar thoughts, calling Trump’s remarks “repulsive” and “insulting.”
“As a person of color – as a Black woman, who is in this position that is standing before you at this podium, behind this lectern – what he just said, what you just read out to me, is repulsive,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“It’s insulting, and, you know, no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify.”
Another person close to Harris said Trump’s comments were “painful.”
RELATED CONTENT: CEO Earl ‘Butch’ Graves Jr. Denounces NABJ Decision To Host Donald Trump