As the US presidential election enters its final phase, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are intensifying their efforts to win over voters. Kamala Harris has emphasized her background as a prosecutor and her commitment to holding Trump accountable for the crimes he is currently being tried for. Meanwhile, Trump has sparked controversy by questioning Harris’s racial identity.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, made racially insensitive remarks about Kamala Harris by questioning whether she is “Indian or black.” Speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago, Trump said, “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.”
Despite the ensuing controversy, the 78-year-old Trump doubled down on his remarks by sharing a photo on social media highlighting Harris’s “Indian heritage.” On Truth Social, he posted, “Thank you, Kamala, for the nice picture you sent many years ago! Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian heritage are very much appreciated.”
Trump has a history of making racially charged attacks on his opponents. He previously falsely accused Barack Obama, the country’s first black president, of not being born in the US. He also targeted former UN ambassador and Republican primary opponent Nikki Haley, falsely claiming she could not be president because her parents were not US citizens when she was born. Now, Trump has turned his focus to Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris, whose mother Shyamala Gopalan was Indian and whose father Donald Jasper Harris is Jamaican, is seeking to become the first black woman and Asian-American president in US history. Her entry into the 2024 race has generated significant enthusiasm among black voters and young people—demographics that Trump has tried to appeal to.
Trump’s remarks come as the race for the November 5 presidential election gains momentum. Recent opinion polls indicate that Vice President Harris, who was thrust into the role of presidential candidate fewer than 10 days ago, has narrowed the gap with her Republican rival. A July Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released Tuesday showed Harris erasing Trump’s lead in seven battleground states, leading him 48% to 47%—a statistical tie. The survey also revealed that Harris enjoys the support of 75% of black voters across those states, compared to 19% for Trump.
Harris condemned Trump’s comments on Wednesday, describing them as “the same old show” of “divisiveness” and “disrespect.” Speaking at a historically black sorority convention in Houston, she said, “Let me just say: The American people deserve better. The American people deserve better than that.”
