Watch: Trump Roasts Kamala for Race-Baiting, Says She Was 'Indian' Until She 'Happened to Turn Black'
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Former President Donald Trump accused Vice President Kamala Harris of playing race games during an interview on July 31 at the National Association of Black Journalists convention.
Trump was asked a racially focused question on whether Harris was on the Democratic ticket because she is black.
“I’ve known her a long time indirectly, not directly, very much, and she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said according to a video posted to X.
“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,” Trump said as a murmur swept through the audience.
Trump: “I’ve known [Kamala] a long time indirectly. She was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black. I respect either one.” pic.twitter.com/3PuTRrh892
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 31, 2024
“So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?” he said.
As host Rachel Scott of ABC tried to tell Trump that Harris always identified as black, Trump spoke over her.
“I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went — she became a black person,” he said.
“I think somebody should look into that, too.”
Scott asked Trump if it was OK with him that some Congressional Republicans call Harris a “DEI hire.” DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, a policy that prioritizes hiring and doing business based on race, gender, and other qualifications rather than based on merit.
Donald Trump, at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, responds to critics of Kamala Harris who have called her a “DEI hire”:
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years… pic.twitter.com/lW0KSBTrhW
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 31, 2024
“I really don’t know. Could be. Could be,” he said, according to a video posted to X.
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, ABC noted.
During his appearance, which was described by many as combative, Trump touted his accomplishments for black Americans.
“I have been the best president for the black population since Abraham Lincoln,” Trump said, according to Politico.
Harrison Fields, a former assistant press secretary in the Trump White House, said Trump was playing to a hostile crowd.
“This is consistent with who Trump is,” Fields said. “Trump is going to go to places that aren’t necessarily his comfort zone, but he understands the value of having these conversations.”
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