Republicans reel at Trump's "embarrassing" remarks about Harris

• "It was awful," one House Republican said of the interview, telling Axios it raised concerns about whether Trump can contain his impulses while running against the first woman, Black and Asian American vice president.
• Sen Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said of the Trump campaign: "Maybe they don't know how to handle the campaign, and so you default to issues that just should simply not be an issue."
• "That was not a demonstration on how to win over undecided voters," another House Republican said.

Driving the news: Trump suggested falsely during his appearance at the NABJ's annual convention that Harris "became a Black person" after identifying primarily as Indian.

• Interviewer Rachel Scott quickly undercut that claim by noting Harris attended Howard University, a historically Black college.
• Trump also said he would challenge Harris to a cognitive test, claiming she "failed her law exam, so maybe she wouldn't pass a cognitive test." Harris passed the bar exam and was the attorney general of California.
• Trump was also combative with his interviewers during the 35-minute long sit-down, calling Scott, an ABC News reporter, "very rude" and "nasty."

What they're saying: A handful of high-profile Republicans went on the record to chastise Trump.

• Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a post on X that it is "unacceptable and abhorrent to attack Vice President Harris or anyone's racial identity," without mentioning Trump by name.
• Murkowski rattled off a litany of what she described as "very unfortunate" recent Trumpworld missteps: "Childless cat women, DEI candidates, now, 'Is she black? Is she Indian?'"

Yes, but: Many Republicans did not want to put their names to criticisms of Trump – who is well known to try to exact retribution against GOP critics – with others dodging questions about his comments entirely.

• "No comment," Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), a swing-district House member, told Axios when asked about Trump's remarks.
• Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters: "I haven't seen them and I haven't seen the context in which they were made, so I don't have anything for you."

Between the lines: Trump's performance all but shredded an effort by Republican leaders to stop their party from going after Harris' identity, including by calling her a "DEI hire," as several House Republicans have done.

• "I think the better approach is to focus on their policies of Kamala Harris ... that's what I've been talking about," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the Senate GOP's campaign chief.
• "To be focusing on on anyone's race or gender when there are plenty of things to talk about on the issues that voters actually care about is frustrating for a lot of us," said a third House Republican.
• Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said it is "not a great idea for either of the parties to be playing racial identity politics."

The other side: Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), a purple-district Republican, told Axios, "Trump's political adversaries question his style because they lose on policy and fact."

• "Trump did more for Black Americans than any President in at least the last 50 years. VP Harris' honeymoon will soon end," LaLota added.
• A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bottom line: "The entire exchange was embarrassing," said the first House Republican.

• "I don't think it was helpful," Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told reporters of the interview.