Former President Donald Trump launched a racially insensitive attack on presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday, falsely questioning her race in a contentious appearance in Chicago.
During a panel discussion at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, the Republican presidential candidate said his White House opponent “turned black” a few years ago.
Asked about some Republicans calling Harris a “Location DEI“Trump, after arguing with ABC’s Rachel Scott over the definition of DEI, responded: “I know [Harris] “It’s been going on for a long time, indirectly, not directly, a lot. And she’s always been of Indian heritage, and she was just promoting Indian heritage. 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. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?”
Trump said he respected “either,” appearing to mean either legacy, but claimed Harris “clearly does not.”
Harris’ mother is from India and her father is from Jamaica. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, a historically black school in Washington, D.C., and belongs to Alpha Kappa Alphathe oldest black sorority in the country. She was also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus during her tenure in the Senate.
Trump rose to political prominence by falsely questioning the legacy of President Barack Obama.
On Wednesday, Trump also repeated his line from the debate against President Biden about undocumented immigrants working so-called “black jobs.”
“My message is to stop people from invading our country, which, frankly, is a lot of problems. But one of the big problems, and I know a lot of journalists in this room and have great respect for them, is that a lot of them are black,” Trump said. “I can tell you that millions and millions of people who come across the border are taking jobs that are reserved for black people.”
“What is a black job, sir?” asked ABC’s Rachel Scott.
“A black job is anybody who has a job, that’s just the way it is,” Trump said, prompting laughter from the crowd.
