US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has questioned his Democratic rival Kamala Harris' racial identity during a heated exchange at the country's largest annual gathering of Black journalists on Wednesday (local time). Trump falsely suggested that vice-president Harris had previously only emphasised her Asian-American heritage while downplaying her Black roots.
"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 at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
Trump's claims prompted a heated exchange with ABC News reporter Rachel Scott -- one of three Black women moderators of the Chicago event.
"I respect either one," Trump said referring to Harris' racial identity, and added, "but she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a black person."
When Scott listed a series of racist comments Trump had made, and asked why Black voters should support him, the Republican called the question "horrible," "hostile" and a "disgrace" and described ABC as a "fake" network.
"I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln," he boasted, and repeated a line from the presidential debate in June, claiming that migrants crossing the US southern border would take away "Black jobs," a term that drew criticism from some Black leaders.
"What exactly is a 'Black job,' sir?" Scott asked him.
"A Black job is anybody with a job," Trump replied.
Trump also declined to say whether Harris was a "DEI hire," as some fellow Republicans have claimed, saying, "I don't know."
DEI stands for "diversity, equity and inclusion" initiatives aimed at increasing representation of women and people of color in the workforce to address longstanding inequities and discrimination. The term "DEI hire" is used to suggest a person is not qualified and was chosen on the basis of race or gender.
Harris' Response
Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, has long self-identified as both Black and Asian. She is the first Black person and Asian American person to serve as vice president.
Harris hit back at her presidential rival and former President Donald Trump over the latter's remarks against her racial identity and said the American people "deserve better." She asserted that today the country faces a choice between two different visions, and alleged that Trump and his campaign aim to take the country "backward." Harris was speaking at a Houston fundraiser on Wednesday (local time), hours after Trump raised questions on her racial identity.
"In this moment, we face a choice, between two very different visions for our nation. One focused on the future, the other focused on the past. And we in this room, are fighting for the future," she told the donors.
"As we work to move our nation forward...there are those who are trying to take us backward. You might have seen their agenda, they call it Project 2025 and it is a 900-page agenda of extremism," Harris added.
Harris' campaign also responded to the attack and, in a statement said, "Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump's MAGA rallies this entire campaign," according to a report by Reuters.
Responding to the former president's remarks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, at a briefing, also denounced the former president's statement and said, "What he just said is repulsive...It's insulting."
Since launching her White House campaign earlier this month, Harris has faced a barrage of sexist and racist attacks online, with some far-right accounts questioning her racial identity. Republican Party leaders have urged lawmakers to refrain from personal attacks and focus on her policy positions.
Trump himself has used personal insults against Harris and said he was going to ignore advice that he tone down his rhetoric. "I'm not gonna be nice!" he told supporters at one campaign rally.