Former President Donald Trump last week set the internet ablaze after questioning the ethnicity of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris .
During an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump was asked whether he agreed with the narrative that the vice president was tapped by President Joe Biden to be “DEI hire” instead of on her merit.
According to Trump, Harris was “only 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. So, I don’t know. Is she Indian or is she black?”
Trump asserted that Harris “obviously doesn’t” respect her black heritage.
“She was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn, and she became a black person, and I think someone should look into that, too,” Trump added as audible gasps filled the room.
Trump’s comments, which suggest Harris fabricated her racial identity for personal advantage, are both factually wrong and politically foolish.
Harris is, by any practical measure, a black woman. She has a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. Jamaica, one of the key ports during the transatlantic slave trade, is overwhelmingly black. Though Harris embraced her mother's Indian heritage, she also attended the historically black Howard University. She was a featured speaker at the 2006 “State of the Black Union” conference, in which she spoke emphatically about the need for competent law enforcement in black communities.
Regardless, the discourse over Harris’s ethnic background does nothing to improve Trump’s electoral prospects . This sort of racially charged rhetoric could threaten the surge in support the former president has enjoyed from black voters. In addition, Trump could also lose support among moderates and suburbanites, demographics that are typically highly adverse to being branded a “racist.”
Moreover, the more Trump focuses on Harris’s race, the less she has to defend her record or explain her policy positions. Harris has a long history of pushing far-left, electorally toxic policies. I am sure that she is thrilled the media is more busy debating whether she’s “actually black” than investigating her failure as Biden’s border czar .
Harris has spent the past few days away from the spotlight, allowing Trump to endure a deluge of bad press. To Harris’s credit, she handled Trump’s comments masterfully, simply calling them “divisive” and moving on, choosing to not respond with any race-baiting of her own.
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Following the near-successful attempt against Trump's life last month, the former president seemingly decided to shift course in his rhetoric. While accepting the GOP presidential nomination, Trump struck a unifying tone. After his debate with Biden in June, Trump came away looking competent and sharp. Furthermore, the public sentiment surrounding Trump dramatically improved, ironically, when he was banned from Twitter. His antics and incendiary commentary were out of view.
If Trump wants to win in November, he would be wise to not turn the election into a referendum on race and gender. If he does that, he is almost certain to lose.
Corey Walker is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter who focuses on institutional capture, education, and public safety.
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