While speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump questioned whether Vice President Harris is Indian or Black. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” he said. “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?”
Trump: I did not 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. Is she Indian or is she Black? pic.twitter.com/DIVy0mQL3I
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Harris is reportedly of both Black and South Asian descent. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, is Indian, while her father, Donald J. Harris, is Jamaican. The White House website claims her to be “the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to this position [Vice President].”
In a post on Twitter in 2020, Harris celebrated Indian Independence Day, referring to Indians as “our people.”
Happy Indian Independence Day! Reflecting on the past 74 years, it’s remarkable how much progress our people have made in the fight for justice. I hope you'll join me today in celebrating and then commit to building an even better future.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 16, 2020
A 2017 Daily Beast article claimed that Harris “is the first female, first African American, and first Asian American attorney general in California.” Harris shared the article on Twitter in 2012, quoting the sentence that refers to her as African-American.
"Kamala D. Harris is the first female, first African American, and first Asian American attorney general in… http://t.co/DXlaRvRs
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) March 12, 2012
Before the event at the conference began on Wednesday, it was delayed by what some say was a “standoff” between the Trump campaign and NABJ leadership over live fact-checking.
I’m told that Trump is demanding that NABJ not do the live fact checking and that’s why the event hasn’t started yet
“We’re in a standoff”
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 31, 2024
Others claimed the delay was due to audio issues at the venue.
President Trump has been waiting backstage for NABJ to fix their audio issues. https://t.co/TVLHxN3Ht6
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 31, 2024
In the same interview, he was asked about pardoning January 6 rioters. He responded that he would pardon them if they were innocent, amid the heated exchange with the interviewer.
Yikes this is a disaster
Scott: My question is about those rioters who assaulted those officers. Will you pardon them?
Trump: Absolutely. I would pic.twitter.com/WFn7eTVHOL
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
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