Top line
Former President Donald Trump sought to downplay his earlier comments questioning whether Vice President Kamala Harris is black during Tuesday’s debate, telling moderators he “doesn’t care” how she identifies and then falsely claiming that Harris had previously claimed she is not black.
The Republican presidential candidate, former US President Donald Trump, and the Democratic presidential candidate … (+)
Key data
Asked by an ABC anchor why he felt it was appropriate to comment on Harris’s ethnic identity, Trump replied, “I don’t and I don’t care,” referring to a July interview in which Trump said Harris, whose father is from Jamaica and whose mother is from South India, had “turned around and … became a black person.”
Trump said, “I don’t care at all, whatever she wants to be is fine with me,” and then claimed he read that Harris had “put out” that she was not black. “Then I read that she is black.”
There is no evidence that Harris ever denied or downplayed her mixed heritage. Throughout her political career, she repeatedly referred to her father as black and herself as black, but also acknowledged her mother’s Native American ancestry.
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Main critics
“Frankly, I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president when he has, over and over again, throughout his career, tried to divide the American people over race,” Harris said in response to Trump’s comments about her race.
Important background
Trump said during a forum with the National Association of Black Journalists in July that he did not know Harris was black “until she accidentally became black several years ago and now wants to be known as black,” claiming “she was Native American through and through, and then all of a sudden she made a U-turn.” Trump made the remarks in response to a question about whether he agreed with Republicans who said she was unsuited to her role and was a “DEI hire,” referring to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives – a conclusion widely viewed as racist.
More information
Trump claims Kamala Harris was only recently identified as black – here’s why that’s not true (Forbes)
Trump questions Kamala Harris’ ethnicity: In a combative interview, he claims she has “become a black person” (Forbes)
