Former US President Donald Trump launched a harsh personal attack on Vice President Kamala Harris, his rival in the upcoming presidential race, by alleging that she, after identifying as having “Indian heritage” for years, “turned Black” in recent years, according to CNN.
Trump further alleged that Harris “suddenly changed” her identity to be recognised as Black. He made these remarks during a gathering of Black journalists in Chicago, where an interviewer questioned why Black voters should support a candidate with his history of racist remarks against political opponents.
Trump replied by questioning Harris’s heritage. “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?” CNN quoted him as saying.
“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,” he said. “I think somebody should look into that too.” Trump has previously made similar remarks, notably promoting the “birther” conspiracy theory for years, which claimed that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, according to CNN.
Kamala Harris has Indian heritage through her mother, and Jamaican roots through her father, both of whom immigrated to the United States. Born in Oakland, California, she attended Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C. She is the first female, first Black, and first Asian American vice president. If she wins the upcoming election, she would become the first female president of the United States.
Last week, President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race and appointed his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee. Harris’ ascension has revitalised the Democratic campaign, which had struggled after Biden’s debate performance against Trump cast doubt on his ability to defeat Trump or serve effectively if re-elected. In the hours following Biden’s withdrawal, Harris quickly garnered strong support from Democrats and raised over USD 200 million in her first week as a presidential candidate.
The White House condemned Trump’s remarks as “insulting” and stated that only VP Kamala Harris can address the issue herself. “As a person of colour, as a black woman, who is in this position, standing before you, at this podium…what he said is insulting,” White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre said at the briefing on Wednesday (local time). “No one has any right to tell someone, who they are, how they identify, that is no one’s right. It is someone’s own decision,” she added.
“Only she (Kamala Harris) could speak up to her experience, only she can speak up to what it’s like, she is the only person that can do that. I think it’s insulting for anybody, doesn’t matter if it’s insulting for a foreign leader, a former president, it is insulting…she is the Vice President of the United States, we have to put some respect to her name,” Jean-Pierre further emphasised.
