Former President Donald Trump’s comments about Vice President Kamala Harris at a conference of Black journalists in Chicago on Wednesday, July 31 are creating controversy on the campaign trial. Trump made the remarks after being asked if he agrees with Republicans on Capitol Hill who have said the vice president was a “DEI hire.”
“Do you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she is a Black woman?” ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked him.
“Well, I can say no,” Trump said. “I think it’s maybe a little bit different. So, I’ve known her a long time indirectly, not directly very much, and 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?”
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“She has always identified as a Black woman,” Scott interjected, “she went to a historically Black college.”
“You know what, I respect either one,” Trump said. “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.”
Vice President Harris responded to Trump’s comments during a campaign stop of her own in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, July 31.
“We all here remember what those four years were like,” Harris said. “And today we were given yet another reminder. This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, and it was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. 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.”
During her daily press conference, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to Trump’s comment, saying “it’s insulting.”
The former president defended his comments on his Truth Social platform, saying the questions he was being asked were “rude and nasty” and “often in the form of a statement” rather than question.
Some Black Republican lawmakers have also jumped in to defend him — like Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt. Hunt posted a statement on his own Truth Social account reading in part, “He stood strong in the face of vicious attacks and gotcha questions, because that’s what leaders do.”
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., also commented on the former president’s remarks in a post on X.
“Fostering tough conversations and debate is how we make America great again for all Americans,” Donalds said. “Unlike Kamala Harris, President Trump is not afraid of going into any venue, any time, anywhere.”
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother. She attended the historically Black Howard University and is a member of the nation’s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Meanwhile, a debate between the two remains up in the air. Trump has voiced wanting a venue change and said this week he “probably will” debate Harris, but could also “make a case for not doing it.”
Tags: 2024 Elections, ABC, Byron Donalds, Chicago, debate, DEI, Donald Trump, Election, Illinois, Kamala Harris, Karine Jean-Pierre, Truth Social, White House, X
[KARAH RUCKER]
IT WAS HOURS BEFORE TRUMP TOOK THAT STAGE AT A PENNSYLVANIA RALLY — WHERE HE ATTENDED A CONFERENCE FOR BLACK JOURNALISTS — THAT IS CREATING THE MOST BUZZ OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL THIS MORNING.
TRUMP — MAKING THIS CONTROVERSIAL REMARK AFTER BEING ASKED IF HE AGREES WITH REPUBLICANS ON CAPITOL HILL WHO HAVE SAID THE VICE PRESIDENT WAS A “D-E-I HIRE”.
RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS
“Do you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she is a black woman?”
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
“Well, I can say no. I think it’s maybe a little bit different. So, I’ve known for a long time, indirectly, not directly, very much. And 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?”
RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS
“She has always identified as a Black woman, she went to a historically Black college.”
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
“You know what, I respect either one. 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.”
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS RESPONDING TO TRUMP’S COMMENTS DURING A CAMPAIGN STOP OF HER OWN YESTERDAY…
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS
“We all here remember what those four years were like. And today we were given yet another reminder. This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of The National Association of Black Journalists. And it was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. 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.”
AND DURING HER DAILY PRESS CONFERENCE — WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY KARINE JEAN-PIERRE RESPONDED TO TRUMP’S COMMENT… SAYING “IT’S INSULTING.”
THE FORMER PRESIDENT DEFENDED HIS COMMENTS ON HIS TRUTH SOCIAL PLATFORM — SAYING THE QUESTIONS HE WAS BEING ASKED WERE QUOTE “RUDE AND NASTY” AND “OFTEN IN THE FORM OF A STATEMENT” RATHER THAN QUESTION.
SOME BLACK REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS HAVE ALSO JUMPED IN TO DEFEND HIM… LIKE TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE WESLEY HUNT, WHO POSTED A STATEMENT ON HIS OWN TRUTH SOCIAL ACCOUNT READING IN PART:
“HE STOOD STRONG IN THE FACE OF VICIOUS ATTACKS AND GOTCHA QUESTIONS, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT LEADERS DO.”
AND CONGRESSMAN BYRON DONALDS OF FLORIDA POSTING ON X QUOTE “FOSTERING TOUGH CONVERSATIONS AND DEBATE IS HOW WE MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN FOR ALL AMERICANS.
UNLIKE KAMALA HARRIS, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NOT AFRAID OF GOING INTO ANY VENUE, ANY TIME, ANYWHERE, AND TODAY WAS NO EXCEPTION.”
HARRIS —
IS THE DAUGHTER OF A JAMAICAN FATHER AND INDIAN MOTHER.
SHE ATTENDED THE HISTORICALLY BLACK HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND IS A MEMBER OF THE NATION’S OLDEST BLACK SORORITY — ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA.
WHILE THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MORE HIGH-PROFILE JABS WE’VE SEEN SO FAR THIS CAMPAIGN SEASON —
THERE’S STILL LIKELY MORE TO COME — AND A DEBATE BETWEEN THE TWO? THAT’S STILL UP IN THE AIR.
TRUMP HAS VOICED WANTING A VENUE CHANGE. AND SAID THIS WEEK HE PROBABLY WILL DEBATE HARRIS — BUT COULD ALSO MAKE A CASE FOR NOT.
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