Harris: Trump ‘black friends’ comments ‘insulting’

Vice President Kamala Harris sharply rebuked former President Trump’s claims that his recent indictments and convictions make him more attractive to black voters.

On ainterviewwith MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe, Harris was asked about Trump’s comments about having “black friends,” in which the former president said he would know if he was saying something racist because those friends would talk to him.

Trump also said that many black people like him because they have been discriminated against and are empathetic to their own situation under the law.

Harris said those comments were “insulting.”

“It is insulting for a number of reasons, including the fact that he has reduced the entire population to a sum total of what, in his opinion, they are,” Harris said. “And he is wrong. And he is wrong.

Earlier this year, Trump said his legal troubles had won him the support of black voters across the country.

“I was indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing,” Trump said at the event in February. “And a lot of people said that’s why black people like me, because they were badly hurt and discriminated against, and they actually saw me as if I was being discriminated against.”

Trump was also criticized by black leaders on both sides of the political spectrum after rejecting allegations of racism in an interview with Semafor.

“I have so many black friends that if I were racist, they wouldn’t be friends; they would know better than anyone and quickly,” Trump said. “They wouldn’t be with me for two minutes if they thought I was racist – and I’m not racist!”

Both Trump and President Biden hope to win support among black voters, especially black men, ahead of the November elections.

Although the majority of black men favor Democrats, recent polls ofPew Research Centershows that about 20 percent of black men said they would vote for Trump if the election were held today.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story