Kamala Harris has responded to Donald Trump’s claims about her racial identity after he claimed that she suddenly “became a Black person.”
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee called out her political rival for his remarks before the National Association of Black Journalists on Wednesday (July 31).
Harris addressed the crowd at a gathering of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority in Houston, claiming Trump’s remarks were divisive and disrespectful.
“It was the same old show,” she said of Trump’s appearance with the NABJ panel. “The divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better … The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth. A leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us – they are an essential source of our strength.”
Donald Trump Questioned When Kamala Harris “Happened To Turn Black”
During the convention, Trump implied that Harris “could be” a DEI hire, a term that has become a racist dog whistle in right-wing circles.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” Trump said of Harris. “And now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know. Is she Indian or is she Black? 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. She became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.”
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed Trump’s remarks.
“As a person of color, as a Black woman who is in this position,” she explained, “What he just said, what you just read out to me is repulsive. It’s insulting.”
Additionally, the Harris campaign issued a statement on Trump’s comments and urged him to “stop playing games” and show up to debate on September 10.
“Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign,” the statement read in part. “It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as Vice President Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans.”