Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who is rumored to be on Kamala Harris’ running mate’s shortlist, described former President Donald Trump as a “scared old man” during an interview with CNN Wednesday night.
Kelly, who appeared on The source with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, was asked to respond to Trump’s comments earlier in the day while speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago, during which Trump questioned Harris’ black heritage.
Kelly told Collins that his first impression of Trump’s onstage comment was that it was “the reaction of a desperate, scared old man.”
“It was very obvious to me watching it, and that’s exactly what I saw over the last week as she was [Harris] “She’s been all over the country struggling, and he’s afraid,” the senator continued. “He’s afraid to debate her. He’s certainly afraid of losing an election to her in November, and he’s afraid for his own future.”
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign via email for comment on Kelly’s remarks.
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The context
Trump’s appearance at the NABJ annual conference has drawn a lot of backlash. The former president has been hostile to some of the questions posed by the moderating reporters, including the first question from ABC News’ Rachel Scott, who challenged Trump for his past statements about the birtherism conspiracy theory about former President Barack Obama and his attacks on lawmakers of color in Congress.
Asked why black voters should “trust” him in November, Trump told Scott: “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible way, the first question… Are you with ABC, because I think it’s a fake news network, a terrible network.”
The former president was then asked about conservatives’ claim that Harris is a “DEI candidate” or that she was only chosen as the presumptive Democratic nominee because of her race.
Trump, after repeatedly asking for the definition of “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion), responded to Scott’s question by questioning Harris’ race.
“She’s always been of Indian descent and she was just promoting her Indian heritage,” he said. “I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago when she became black, and now she wants to be known as black.”
Harris is the first woman to serve as vice president. She is black and Asian. Her father is from Jamaica and her mother is from India.
What we know
Kelly’s comments come as suspense continues to mount over Harris’ choice as her running mate in November. The Arizona senator, who won his congressional seat in the 2022 midterm elections, is reportedly on Harris’ “short list” of candidates, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Harris’ campaign has also reportedly begun looking at several other Democratic candidates, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Those names, however, are not among Harris’ top contenders.
The vice president told reporters Tuesday that she had “not yet” chosen a running mate. However, Reuters reported earlier in the day that Harris planned to choose her vice president in the coming days, with him attending campaign events next week.
Kelly sidestepped Collins’ questions about his candidacy as Harris’ running mate, saying he “wasn’t going to bring that up, especially today.”
“You know, this isn’t about me,” Kelly continued. “This is about Donald Trump, and the sad, desperate character that he’s become.”
Updated 7/31/24, 10:13 PM ET: This article has been updated with additional information and context.
Uncommon knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
