CHICAGO: Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago on Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile.
The former Republican president wrongly claimed that Harris, the first black and first Asian woman to serve as vice president, had only promoted her Indian heritage in the past.
“I didn't know she was black until a few years ago when she happened to be black and now she wants to be known as black. So, I don't know, is she Indian or is she black?” Trump said while addressing the group's annual convention.
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the US. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the most prominent historically black colleges and universities in the country, where she also pledged the historically black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. . As a U.S. Senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, championing legislation among her colleagues to strengthen voting rights and reform the police.
Trump has leveled a wide range of criticisms of Harris since he replaced President Joe Biden at the head of the presumptive Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.
Michael Tyler, communications director for Harris' campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility that Donald Trump displayed on stage today is the same hostility that he has displayed throughout his life , throughout his tenure and throughout his campaign for president as he did. seeks to regain power.”
“Trump has hurled personal attacks and insults at black journalists the same way he has throughout his presidency — while failing black families and leaving the entire country digging itself out of the ditch it left us in Tyler said. “Donald Trump has already proven he can't unite America, so he's trying to tear us apart.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during Wednesday's briefing with reporters about Trump's remarks and responded incredulously, initially muttering, “Wow.”
Jean-Pierre, who is black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said: “It's insulting and no one has the right to tell someone who they are or how they identify.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation's first black president, was not born in the United States. “Birtherism,” as it became known, was just the beginning of Trump's history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of black politicians.
He denied the accusations of racism. And after Biden chose Harris as his running mate four years ago, a Trump campaign spokesman then pointed to a previous political donation by Trump to Harris as evidence that he was not racist.
“The president, as a private businessman, has donated to candidates across the aisle,” spokeswoman Katrina Pierson told reporters. “And I'll note that Kamala Harris is a black woman and she donated to her campaign, so I hope we can put this argument about racism to rest now,” Pierson said.
During this year's Republican primaries, he once referred to former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”
Trump's appearance on Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black Journalists immediately became heated, with the former president talking to ABC News interviewer Rachel Scott and accusing her of giving him a “very rude introduction” with a harsh first question about his past criticisms to black people. and black journalists, his attack on black prosecutors who prosecuted cases against him, and the dinner he had at his club in Florida with a white supremacist.
“I think it's shameful,” Trump said. “I came here with a good spirit. I love the black population of this country. I've done so much for the black people of this country.”
Trump continued his attacks on Scott's network, ABC News, which he says should not host the next presidential debate despite his earlier agreement with the Biden campaign. He also repeatedly described her tone and questions as “nasty,” a word he has used in the past to describe women, including Hillary Clinton and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
The Republican also repeated his false claim that immigrants in the country are “illegally taking black jobs.” When pushed by Scott about what constitutes a “black job,” Trump responded by saying that “a black job is anyone who has a job,” drawing groans from the room.
At one point he said, “I was the best president for the black people since Abraham Lincoln.”
The audience responded with a mixture of boos and some applause.
Scott asked Trump about his commitment to pardon people convicted of their roles in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, and specifically whether he would pardon those who assaulted police officers.
Trump said, “Oh, I absolutely would,” and said, “If they're innocent, I would pardon them.”
Scott pointed out that they were convicted and therefore not innocent.
“Well, they were convicted by a very, very harsh system,” he said.
At one point, as he defended supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he said, “Nothing in life is perfect.”
He compared the 2021 uprising to protests in Minneapolis and other cities in 2020 following the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and to last week's more recent protests at the Capitol by demonstrators opposing the war in Gaza. Trump falsely claimed that no one was arrested in those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.
As Trump made the comparison, a man behind the camera shouted, “Sir, have you no shame?”
The former president's invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate within the NABJ that spread online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings during election years.
As he campaigns for the White House for a third term, Trump has sought to appear outside of his traditional strongholds of support, and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over black Americans, who have been the most involved electoral block of the Democrats.
His campaign emphasized his messages about the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his activities played on racial stereotypes, including suggesting that African-Americans would empathize with the criminal charges he faced and promoting branded sneakers .
Trump and the NABJ also have a tense history over its treatment of black female journalists. In 2018, the NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words like “stupid,” “loser,” and “ugly” to describe black female journalists.
The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it has been in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.
Trump posted on his social media that he was told he could not make the virtual event.
“She refused and I'm getting ready to land in Chicago to be there,” Trump wrote. “Now I'm told she's doing the event on ZOOM. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”
Trump hosted a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania later Wednesday, where he repeatedly mispronounced Harris' name.
Before taking the stage, Trump's team flashed what appeared to be years-old news headlines describing Harris as the “first Indian-American senator” on the big screen in the arena.
