Vice President Kamala Harris called out former President Donald Trump for claiming she "happened to turn Black” and suggesting that “all of a sudden, she made a turn” in her racial identity.
At the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago, Trump was asked if he agreed with Republicans who have labeled Harris as a "DEI hire." Trump, who has previously supported the racist "birther" conspiracy theory claiming that President Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen, responded by casting doubts on Harris's heritage.
He said:
“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, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
“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. I think somebody should look into that too.”
Shortly afterward, Harris hit back in her remarks to Sigma Gamma Rho members during their 60th International Biennial Boule at the GRB Convention Center in Houston, describing his statements as "the same old show."
She said:
This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists and it was the same old show. The divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say: the American people deserve better."
"The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth. A leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts."
"We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Harris issued truncated remarks via her official campaign account on X, formerly Twitter, writing:
"This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke to the National Association of Black Journalists. It was the same old show. Let me just say: The American people deserve better than Donald Trump’s divisiveness and disrespect."
You can see her post below.
Her campaign also released an official statement titled "Statement on Donald Trump Showing Exactly Who He Is at NABJ" that reads, in part:
"The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people."
"Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us."
"Today's tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump's MAGA rallies this entire campaign. It's also exactly what the American people will see across the debate stage as Vice President Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans."
The statement concludes with another jab at Trump for backing out of September's scheduled presidential debate:
"All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10."
Many echoed her criticisms and called out Trump's racism.
Harris has through statements such as the one mentioned above continued to needle Trump for backing out of the upcoming presidential debate.
After initially agreeing to a second debate with President Joe Biden in September, Trump announced in a statement via spokesperson Steven Cheung that the "continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party" signal that "general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee."
Trump had previously claimed he "would debate “ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE" but has reneged on that pledge now that Biden has dropped out of the race. Cheung himself said "it would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds."
Harris directly challenged these statements in a speech she gave during a lively rally in Atlanta on Tuesday night, which drew a crowd of around 10,000 attendees. She said Trump "won't debate but he and his running mate [J.D. Vance] sure seem to have a lot to say about me."
She called on him to "meet me on the debate stage" and stressed that if he's "got something to say, say it to my face," a remark that prompted those in attendance to roar enthusiastically and wave signs emblazoned with Harris's name and campaign slogans.
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