Former US President Donald Trump has ignited controversy by questioning the racial identity of his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, during a convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago.
“She (Harris) 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,” Trump stated, according to media reports.
“So, I don’t know, is she Indian or Black? … I respect either one but she obviously doesn’t,” the Republican former President added while addressing NABJ’s annual convention on Wednesday.
Kamala Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as Vice President, is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the US. As a senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris’ campaign, responded to Trump’s comments, saying, “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.”
“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,” Tyler added.
Reacting to the former President’s remarks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are or how they identify.”
