Trump doubles down after false attack on Kamala Harris
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Former President Trump answers questions during the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago, Ill., on July 31. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
Former President Trump used a very specific setting on Wednesday to unveil a false new attack against his 2024 presidential rival.
Why it matters: Trump, who spent years falsely accusing the first Black president of not being a real American, told a crowd today at the National Association of Black Journalists convention that he doubted the blackness of the first Black woman to serve as vice president.
- It was a new line of attack from Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris, who has repeatedly talked about her experience growing up with multiracial heritage as the child of Indian American and Jamaican parents.
Driving the news: Trump, interviewed by ABC News' Rachel Scott, Semafor's Kadia Goba and Fox News' Harris Faulkner at the annual National Association of Black Journalists' convention, claimed that Harris "happened to turn Black."
- "She was always of Indian heritage. And she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black. And now she wants to be known as Black," Trump said said of Harris, who attended Howard University, an HBCU.
- "I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?" he said.
- He doubled down on his Truth Social after the interview, again questioning Harris' racial identity.
The big picture: Trump's comments were a new attack against Harris, but not new rhetoric from the former president who has repeatedly launched "birther" conspiracies against his political rivals.
- Trump for years falsely said that former President Obama was not born in the U.S. He also pushed similar false rhetoric during the GOP primary, questioning former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley's citizenship.
Zoom in: The interview was combative from the start, with Trump telling Scott that her first question was "very rude" and that she works for the "fake news."
- When asked by Scott whether he thinks that Harris is a 'DEI hire,' he said that the VP "could be" and "I really don't know."
The other side: The Harris campaign quickly condemned Trump's remarks, saying in a statement that "Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us."
State of play: Trump's hostile appearance comes as he's seeking to appeal to Black voters ahead of November.
- He repeated common refrains, including that undocumented immigrations would take "Black jobs" if he is not re-elected and also criticizing Harris over the border.
- He said the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was killed inside her home in Illinois, "didn't look good to me" and that his proposal to grant immunity to police officers would apply to cases "that are much different cases than that."
Between the lines: Trump's interview at the annual convention sparked pushback from some NABJ members, who questioned whether he should have a platform, citing his prior remarks to Black journalists.
- Some NABJ members were dismayed over the tense interview and how Trump treated the journalists, specifically Scott, while others said that they were not surprised by his combative tone.
The bottom line: The Trump campaign has struggled with defining their attacks on Harris, who became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee less than week ago.
- Some members of the GOP have urged their party to avoid making race-based attacks against Harris as to not alienate Black voters.
- But Trump's appearance on Wednesday signals that he is ignoring that strategy.
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