Former President Donald Trump spoke at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris had suddenly adopted a Black identity. He stated that Harris had previously only promoted her Indian heritage and he was unaware she was Black until a few years ago. Trump’s comments were met with immediate bipartisan criticism and were found to be false.
Contrary to Trump’s claims, Kamala Harris has identified as Black for decades and has also honored her South Asian heritage. Harris attended Howard University, a historically Black institution, where she was a member of a historically Black sorority. She has been actively involved in advocating against anti-Black racism, even during her time as a law student at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
In a profile from 2003, Harris discussed her South Asian heritage but also mentioned her upbringing in a Black community and her Black friends. Throughout her career, Harris has acknowledged her dual cultural background, emphasizing the importance of both her South Asian and Black roots. She has been recognized as the first African American woman to hold certain political positions in California.
Donald Trump made several other false claims during his remarks, including inaccurately referring to Harris’s role in the Biden administration and spreading misinformation about inflation, the Presidential Records Act, and abortion policy. Trump also falsely claimed that foreign countries were releasing criminals to migrate to the US. Additionally, he incorrectly stated that nobody died during the January 6th Capitol riot, when in fact, four Trump supporters and a Capitol Police officer died as a result of the events that day.
