CHICAGO: Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris misled voters about her race when 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 falsely claimed that Harris, the first black and Asian-American woman to serve as vice president, had only promoted her Native American heritage in the past.
“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 this in a speech at the group's annual convention.
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation's most historically black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically black Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. . As a U.S. Senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and supported her colleagues' legislation to strengthen voting rights and reform policing.
Since replacing President Joe Biden last week as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Trump has targeted Harris with a wide range of criticism. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the origins of opponents who are racial minorities.
Michael Tyler, director of communications for the Harris campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility that Donald Trump displayed on stage today is the same hostility that he displayed throughout his life, throughout his tenure and throughout his campaign for president.” trying to regain power.”
“Trump lobbied for personal attacks and insults against black journalists the same way he has throughout his presidency — while failing black families and leaving the country to dig itself out of the ditch he left us in,” Tyler said. “Donald Trump has already proven that he cannot unite America, so he is trying to divide us.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Trump's remarks during a briefing with reporters on Wednesday and responded in disbelief, initially muttering, “Wow.
Jean-Pierre, who is Black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said, “It's offensive and no one has the right to tell someone who they are, how they identify.
Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by spreading 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 rejected the accusation of racism. And after Biden chose Harris as his running mate four years ago, a Trump campaign spokesman pointed to Trump's previous political donation to Harris as proof he wasn't racist.
“As a private businessman, the president has donated to candidates across the aisle,” spokeswoman Katrina Pierson told reporters. “And I note that Kamala Harris is a black woman and he donated to her campaign, so I hope we can now dispel that racist argument,” Pierson said.
During this year's Republican primary, he once referred to former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”
Trump's appearance at the annual gathering of black journalists on Wednesday immediately became heated as the former president wrestled with ABC News interviewer Rachel Scott, accusing her of giving him a “very rude performance” with a tough first question about his past criticism of black people. and black journalists, his attack on black prosecutors pursuing cases against him, and a dinner he had at his Florida club with a white superior.
“I think it's disgraceful,” Trump said. “I came here in a good mood. I love the black population of this country. I have done so much for the black population of this country.”
Trump continued to attack Scott's ABC News network, which he argued should not host the next presidential debate, despite his earlier endorsement of the Biden campaign. He also repeatedly described her tone and questions as “disgusting”, 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 illegally are “taking black jobs.” When Scott pressed on what constituted a “black job,” Trump responded with “a black job is anyone who has a job,” prompting groans from the room.
At one point he said, “I was the best president for the black population since Abraham Lincoln.”
The audience responded with laughter, whistles and applause.
Scott asked Trump about his commitment to pardon people convicted of their roles in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. 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 sentenced by a very, very harsh system,” he said.
At one point, while defending his 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 police in Minneapolis and more recent protests at the Capitol last week by protesters against the war on Gaza. Trump falsely claimed that no arrests were made at those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.
As Trump made the comparison, a man in the back of the room yelled, “Sir, have you no shame?”
The former president's invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among the NABJ that spread online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.
As Trump seeks a third term in the White House, he has sought to appear outside of his traditional bastions of support, and his campaign touted his efforts to try to win over black Americans, who have been the Democrats' most loyal voting bloc.
His campaign emphasized his message on the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his outreach played on racial stereotypes, including the suggestion that African Americans would empathize with the criminal charges he faced and his promotion of designer sneakers.
Trump and the NABJ also have a strained history over his treatment of black female journalists. In 2018, the NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words like “stupid,” “loser,” and “disgusting” to describe black female journalists.
The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but the NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it has been in conversation with her campaign to appear virtually or in person at the conversation in September.
Trump posted on his social network that he was told he could not do the event virtually.
“She refused and I'm about to land in Chicago to be there,” Trump wrote. “Now I'm told he's doing an Event on ZOOM. WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE?”
Later on Wednesday, Trump held a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he repeatedly mispronounced Harris' name.
Before he took the stage, Trump's team displayed what appeared to be years-old newspaper headlines describing Harris as the “first Indian-American senator” on the arena's big screen.
