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Former US President Donald Trump launched a sharp personal attack on Vice President Kamala Harris, his opponent in the forthcoming presidential election, asserting that she, having identified as ‘of Indian heritage’ for years, suddenly ‘turned Black’ a few years ago, according to CNN. Trump further alleged that Harris abruptly changed her identity and now seeks to be recognised as Black.
The Republican candidate was addressing a gathering of black journalists in Chicago when an interviewer asked him why black voters should consider backing a candidate with his history of racist attacks on political rivals. Responding to which, Trump questioned the heritage of the democrat leader Kamala Harris.
“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. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention, reported AP.
Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, attended Howard University, a leading historically Black college, where she joined the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. During her tenure as a U.S. senator, she was part of the Congressional Black Caucus and supported legislative efforts to enhance voting rights and reform policing.
Trump has previously made similar remarks. For years, he promoted the “birther” conspiracy theory, suggesting that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, as reported by CNN.
Harris quickly garnered Democratic support after Biden withdrew, raising over USD 200 million in her first week as a presidential candidate. The White House swiftly condemned Trump’s remarks as “insulting,” stating that only Vice President Kamala Harris can address the matter herself.
“As a person of colour, as a black woman, who is in this position, standing before you, at this podium…what he said is insulting,” White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre said at the briefing on Wednesday (local time).
“No one has any right to tell someone, who they are, how they identify, that is no one’s right. It is someone’s own decision,” she added.
Harris is the first woman, the first Black, and the first Asian American to serve as vice president. If she wins the upcoming election, she will become the first female president of the country.
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