New Delhi:
With the US presidential elections in their final stretch, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are leaving no stone unturned in winning over voters. As Harris tries to joke about her past as a prosecutor and how she will indict the former president for the crimes for which he is on trial, Trump has questioned the vice president’s racial identity.
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, launched a racially insensitive attack on Kamala Harris, questioning whether she is “Indian or black.”
“I’ve known her for a long time, indirectly, not directly, and she’s always been of Indian heritage and was just promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
“I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago when she became black, and now she wants to be known as black,” he added.
Despite the comments turning into a major controversy, the 78-year-old doubled down and shared a photo on social media that showcases Kamala Harris’s “Indigenous heritage.”
“Thank you Kamala for the beautiful photo you sent many years ago! Your warmth, friendship and love for your Indian heritage are greatly appreciated,” Trump said while sharing the photo on Truth Social.
Trump has a history of attacking his opponents based on race. He falsely accused Barack Obama, the country’s first black president, of not being born in the US.
Trump attacked the former UN ambassador and his Republican primary opponent, Nikki Haley, by falsely claiming that she could not be president because her parents were not US citizens when she was born.
And now, Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was Indian and her father, Donald Jasper Harris, is Jamaican; both immigrated to the USA.
She is seeking to become the first black woman and Asian-American president in US history and her entry into the 2024 race has generated a wave of enthusiasm for her candidacy among black voters and young people – groups with whom Trump has sought to broaden his appeal . .
Trump’s controversial remarks come as the race for the November 5 presidential election gains momentum, with opinion polls showing that Vice President Harris, abruptly thrust into the role of presidential candidate less than 10 days ago, closed the gap with his Republican rival.
Harris condemned Trump’s comments Wednesday as “the same old display” of “division” and “disrespect.”
“Let me just say: the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better than this,” Harris said during a speech at a convention of a historically black sorority in Houston.
A July Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released Tuesday showed that Harris erased the lead Trump enjoyed in seven states that would likely determine the election, leading the former president 48% to 47% — a statistical tie. The poll also showed that in those states, Harris had the support of 75% of black voters, compared to 19% for Trump.
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