Hours after questioning Kamala Harris’s Blackness during a tense panel interview at a National Association of Black Journalists conference, Donald Trump did what he usually does after stirring up outrage: He stirred up some more.
Shortly after his appearance, Trump posted to Truth Social a 2019 clip of Harris cooking with Mindy Kaling, which emphasized Harris’s Indian heritage.
Crazy Kamala is saying she’s Indian, not Black. This is a big deal. Stone cold phony. She uses everybody, including her racial identity!@realDonaldTrump Donald Trump Truth Social 04:41 PM EST 07/31/24 pic.twitter.com/ALzv29ZOul
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 31, 2024
At a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday night, it was clear that Trump’s campaign was leaning into the incendiary (and obviously false) message that Harris had once represented herself only as Indian:
The Trump campaign is projecting this on the screen above the stage at his rally in Harrisburg PA: pic.twitter.com/ZsGHAZaruk
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 31, 2024
And on Thursday, Trump went even further, in typically unsettling fashion.
Thank you Kamala for the nice picture you sent from many years ago! Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) August 1, 2024
Donald Trump Truth Social 09:56 AM EST 08/01/24 @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/13mKGX5AkZ
Trump’s embattled running mate, J.D. Vance, joined in on the new line of attack Wednesday night, at least to an extent. Vance said, “Earlier this week, look up the clip, she went down to Georgia and started talking with a fake southern accent. What the hell is that all about? Kamala Harris grew up in Canada. They don’t talk like that in Vancouver or Quebec or wherever she came from, doesn’t matter.”
As Vance surely knows, Harris grew up partially in Montreal, not Vancouver. His accent criticism was referring to a recent speech Harris gave in Atlanta, in which she seemed to adopt a southern twang. Tailoring one’s speech patterns depending on the audience is hardly new terrain for politicians, but Vance’s attack was notable coming from someone whose evolving views on Trump — from “Hitler” to demigod — have made him a poster boy for political chameleons.
Responding to Trump’s provocations on Wednesday night during an address to the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., in Houston, Harris said Trump had displayed “the same old show of divisiveness and disrespect” and that “the American people deserve better.”
This ugly chapter in the presidential campaign began on Wednesday afternoon, when Trump took questions from three journalists at a conference for the National Association of Black Journalists.
The National Association of Black Journalists’ decision to invite Donald Trump to speak at its conference in Chicago divided the organization. Many members pointed out that Trump had a long history of racist comments and actions and that he frequently insulted Black journalists, especially Black women, during his presidency. (The Washington Post’s Karen Attiah, a co-chair of the conference, stepped down in protest.) Others argued that the organization should not pass on the opportunity to grill the man who may become president again in a few months.
In the end, Trump did demean and try to bully his way through his panel interview, conducted by ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Semafor’s Kadia Goba, and Fox News’ Harris Faulkner. But Trump also offered a reminder that when he is exposed to mainstream-news reporters’ questions, he has a tendency to self-destruct and reveal his unfiltered self.
Trump was belligerent from the start. He attacked Scott after she cited the controversy over his appearance, asking him why voters should trust him given his history of birtherism, degrading remarks, and other offenses.
Trump starts his NABJ Q&A session by railing about ABC News host Rachel Scott's "horrible" question about his attacks on Black journalists, claiming she works for a "fake news network" and that she gave him a "very rude introduction." pic.twitter.com/q7CaV6oGjD
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 31, 2024
His comments drew gasps from the audience, as they did throughout the interview. (And there was laughter when Trump claimed that he had “been the best president for the Black population since President Lincoln.”)
ABC's Rachel Scott: Will you tell your supporters to stop calling Kamala Harris a DEI hire?
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 31, 2024
Trump: Can you define DEI?
Scott: [defines DEI]
Trump: She was Indian all the way, and all of a sudden, she made a turn and became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that pic.twitter.com/wLItSmpher
Trump complained about audio issues and grumbled that Kamala Harris hadn’t shown up at the event and was instead conducting her own interview via Zoom.
But the real fireworks came soon after when Scott asked Trump about Republican attacks against Harris for being a “DEI hire.” Trump first asked Scott to define the term DEI, and when her answer didn’t satisfy him, he pressed her again. He then told Scott that he had long known Harris “indirectly” and claimed, bizarrely, that she had only recently started identifying as Black.
Trump claims Kamala Harris was "always of Indian heritage and only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago but when she happened to turn Black. And now she wants to be known as Black. So I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?" pic.twitter.com/845XWqRUq6
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 31, 2024
Scott told Trump that Harris always identified as a Black woman and had attended a historically Black college.
There was more. He kept on attacking Scott for her opening remarks about his record. He told the room that undocumented immigrants are coming for “Black jobs,” repeating a line he used during his debate with President Biden.
Trump: A lot of the journalists in this room are black. I will tell you that coming from the border are millions and millions of people that happen to be taking black jobs.
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 31, 2024
"What exactly is a black job, sir?"
Trump: "Anybody that has a job! That's what it is!" pic.twitter.com/FrLbWT4GAQ
In less inflammatory comments, Trump appeared to downplay the importance of his running mate, who has drawn wide criticism since Trump selected him two weeks ago.
Asked by Harris Faulkner if JD Vance is ready on day one, Trump answers: “Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. I mean, virtually no impact...Virtually never has it mattered.” pic.twitter.com/ggS74VXMdn
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) July 31, 2024
He also said he would pardon January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers.
The interview came to an abrupt end after about 34 minutes.
In a statement, the Harris Campaign said that “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.”
But journalists grilling Trump received strong reviews, validating the NABJ’s decision to invite him — chaos or not.
The NABJ journos did an excellent job of pressing former President Trump with straightforward and important questions. An excellent session. Interviewing a presidential candidate -- Trump or whoever it may be -- is precisely what journalists should do at their conventions.
— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) July 31, 2024
Incredibly proud of @rachelvscott and @kadiagoba today. Substantive but tough questioning.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) July 31, 2024
NABJ leadership made a decision grounded in journalism to have Trump come answer questions. And it produced one of the newsiest interviews with him this year.
