Trump Questions Harris’ Race at Black Journalists Convention

Former President Trump claimed during a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention that Vice President Kamala Harris “became … Black,” saying he didn’t know she was Black until “a number of years ago.”

Why it matters: Several Republicans have dismissed Harris as a “DEI hire” —implying she is in her position because of her race or gender, not her merits. Critics see it as an attempt to diminish the nation’s first Black and Asian American vice president, while the party struggles not to alienate crucial Back and women voters.

• The NABJ has historically invited candidates to the annual conference, but Trump’s appearance prompted discomfort for some members.
• ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Semafor’s Kadia Goba and Fox News’ Harris Faulkner moderated the interview.

Driving the news: Trump falsely suggested that Harris, who attended an HBCU, joined a historically Black sorority and was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, “happened to turn Black.”

• “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” he said of Harris when asked about right-wing attacks framing her as a DEI hire. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black.”
• “I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” he questioned.
• He continued: “I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and she went — she became a Black person.”

Friction point: Asked why Black voters should trust him after past attacks on Black journalists and elected officials, the former president slammed Scott’s question as “nasty.”

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