Former President Donald Trump sat down with the National Association for Black Journalists at its annual conference yesterday, where he was asked if he believes that Vice President Kamala Harris was only picked to be President Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020 because she is Black.
In response, Trump said that Harris used to be “of Indian heritage” and then “happened to turn Black.”
“And now she wants to be known as Black,” Trump said. “So, I don’t know. Is she Indian or is she Black?”
Harris is mixed race. Her father, Donald Harris, is Black and from Jamaica, and her mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was Indian and born in India.
Trump’s supporters, given the OK from the former president, instantly jumped at his claim that Harris was Indian and then became Black.
@EndWokeness, a far-right X account with almost 3 million followers, posted a photo of Harris wearing a sari, an Indian garment, as proof that Harris is Indian.
“Trump: ‘I didn’t know she was black until a couple of years ago. She happened to turn black,’” @EndWokeness tweeted. “Fact-check: True.”
Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative non-profit Turning Point USA, shared a video of Harris cooking with Mindy Kaling. In it, the two discuss their South Indian heritage.
“‘Actually, we’re both South Indian,’” Kirk tweeted, quoting Kaling. “This was 2019.”
Harris says in the video that Kaling looks like “one half of her family.”
Kirk also doubled down on Truth Social and posted a photo of a newspaper article about Harris’ 2003 campaign for San Francisco District Attorney. The article identifies Harris as potentially being “the first [District Attorney] of Asian Pacific American descent,” if she won, which she did.
The article also mentions that Harris’ father is Jamaican. Harris was the city’s first Black District Attorney.
“Donald Trump is right, by the way. When Kamala Harris first ran for San Francisco DA, the press reported that she would be the first Asian DA, but didn’t mention her being the first black DA (which she was),” he posted. “At some point, Harris changed how she presented her identity. Maybe somebody should ask her why!”
@WallStreetApes, another far-right influencer, posted on Truth Social that when they asked a ChatGPT-style program if Harris is “African American,” it said she is not. The influencer used Uncensored.AI, an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot that allows complete free speech.
“Even artificial intelligence says Kamala Harris is not black,” @WallStreetApes said.
In its response to @WallStreetApes, Uncensored.AI said that Harris’ mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican and the “direct descendant of prominent slave owner Hamilton Brown.”
It also said that Harris’s mother was identified as “Caucasian” on Harris’ birth certificate, which is true.
Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), have also already responded to the backlash that Trump received for his comments about Harris’ race.
This morning, Trump posted on Truth Social the same photo of Harris in a sari and mentioned Harris’ “Indian Heritage.”
“Thank you Kamala for the nice picture you sent from many years ago!” Trump said. “Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated.”
Vance, whose children are mixed race like Harris, compared Harris to a chameleon while backing Trump’s remarks.
“What he said, I thought it was hysterical,” CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere reported Vance said. “I think he pointed out the fundamental chameleon-like nature of Kamala Harris.”
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
