Trump claims ignorance of Harris’s black heritage in heated interview

Donald Trump claimed he “didn’t know” Vice President Kamala Harris is black during a heated interview with members of a black journalists’ association.

The confrontation began with the first question, where the former president was asked about his past remarks targeting black journalists and lawmakers, as well as his meeting with a white supremacist at Mar-a-Lago.

After clashing with his initial questioner at the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump took aim at Harris, who is of mixed heritage. He questioned her background and suggested her identification with black culture was insincere.

“She was always promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black,” Trump remarked. “I don’t know if she is Indian or black.”

“I respect either one. But she obviously doesn’t. Because she was Indian all the way and then suddenly she turned and became a black person,” Trump said, a day after Harris attended an Atlanta rally with prominent black lawmakers and supporters.

“And now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or black?” he continued about Harris, the first black, female, and South-Asian-heritage vice president in US history.

Trump has been making efforts to win black votes, showing some success in outperforming Joe Biden’s 2020 performance in pre-election polls. He held a campaign event in the Bronx and prominently featured ‘Blacks for Trump’ supporters at his rallies.

Harris experienced a poll boost after stepping in as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee while Joe Biden, 81, faced pressure from party leaders.

On Wednesday, Trump immediately clashed with his first questioner, who asked a multi-part question referencing his comments attacking African American journalists and Fulton County DA Fani Willis.

ABC’s Rachel Scott noted that many people found it inappropriate for him to be in Chicago for the interview, citing his remarks calling a black journalist a “loser,” criticising an African American congresswoman, and his meeting with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago.

“First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump told Scott, who asked the initial question.

“You don’t even say hello, how are you?” Trump lectured, labelling ABC a “fake news network.”

“I came here in good spirit. I love the black population of this country,” he said.

“I think it’s a very rude introduction. I don’t know exactly why you would do something like that,” he added.

Trump then complained about faulty equipment, blaming the NASB for the interview starting more than 30 minutes late.

“I was told my opponent would be here. You invited me under false pretence. And then you said you can’t do it with Zoom,” he said, after the group announced that it was negotiating with Harris for a Zoom interview next month.

“I have been the best president for the black population since Abraham Lincoln,” Trump claimed. He called the initial questions “hostile” and a “disgrace.”

Trump continued to complain about the AV equipment, saying the “mics are really in lousy shape.”

Regarding Harris, Trump reiterated his point: “She was always of Indian heritage and only promoting Indian heritage.”

“I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago when she suddenly turned black, and now she wants to be known as black,” Trump said.

“So I don’t know, is she Indian or black? And you know what, I respect either one but she obviously doesn’t,” Trump added.

“Because she was Indian all the way and suddenly she became black. I think somebody should look into that.”

Trump refused to label Harris a DEI hire, a claim some Republican lawmakers have made about the former San Francisco prosecutor and U.S. Senator from California.

“I really don’t know. I mean, I really don’t know. There are some,” Trump said.

Nearly 30 minutes into the interview, Trump was still complaining about “being treated so rudely as this woman treated me.”

Trump launched his successful 2016 presidential campaign partly by attacking Barack Obama’s heritage and falsely claiming he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. After Biden withdrew from the 2024 campaign under pressure from party leaders, one question has been how Trump would handle facing a female opponent who attended a historically black college and emphasises her African American heritage.

At times, Wednesday’s event “felt like it was kind of going off the rails,” said Fox News anchor Martha McCallum, after the network cut away from coverage to broadcast the dramatic clash.

“Mr. President, we so appreciate you giving us an hour of your time,” Scott began before posing a pointed question.

“You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals, from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, saying they were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have told four congresswomen of colour who were American citizens to go back to where they came from. You have used words like animal and rabid to describe black district attorneys. You’ve attacked black journalists, calling them losers and saying their questions are, quote, stupid and racist. You’ve had dinner with a white supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you are asking black supporters to vote for you, why should black voters trust you after you have used language like that?”

Trump responded angrily to the question and her network.

“And then you are half an hour late, just so we understand. I have too much respect for you to be late. They couldn’t get their equipment working or something was wrong,” he said. “I think it’s a very nasty question.”

At the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Trump’s comments on Harris shortly after he made them.

“Wow” was her initial response, shaking her head.

“What you just read out to me is repulsive, is insulting, and no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is no one’s right. It’s someone’s own decisions,” she added. “Only she can speak to her experience.”

“It’s insulting for anybody – it doesn’t matter if it’s a foreign leader or former president – it is insulting,” she added.

Trump gave himself a positive review on his Truth Social platform. “The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!” he wrote.

Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler responded with a statement.

“The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, his term in office, and his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people.”

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us,” he said.

“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,” he added, urging Trump to “stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10.”