Claim:
An old photo authentically depicts U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' Indian family.
Rating:
True ( About this rating? )
On July 31, 2024, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appeared at the annual convention for the National Association of Black Journalists, where he said he thought 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris "was always of Indian heritage," not Black.
"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.
The next day, Trump posted an image on Truth Social that appeared to depict Harris and her family. "Thank you Kamala for the nice picture you sent from many years ago! Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated," he captioned the image.
(Truth Social user @realDonaldTrump)
The photo first appeared on the internet in 2020, although it is unclear exactly where it originally surfaced. Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Commissioner Neil Makhija published t he earliest post ( archived ) we were able to find on Aug. 11, 2020.
Commissioner Makhija wrote in the caption that his dad sent him the photo, but it was unclear where Makhija's dad sourced the photo or who wrote the caption.
The caption claims the photo depicts (from left) Kamala Harris, Harris' grandparents Rajam Gopalan and P.V. Gopalan, and Harris' sister, Maya. With them are (from left) Maya's daughter, Meena, and Harris' cousin, Sharada Balachandran Orihuela – who the caption credited for the photo.
We reached out to the Harris campaign, Maya Harris, Meena Harris, and Orihuela – now a professor at the University of Maryland – and Meena Harris' spokesperson confirmed via email that the photo is real, and that the above caption identifying those people is accurate.
Multiple outlets have also either featured the photo or linked to it, including The New York Times ( archived ) and CNN ( archived ). CNN credited Orihuela for the photo.
A 2019 story for The Los Angeles Times ( archived ) described a trip Harris took with her family in 1991 to Chennai, India, to celebrate her grandfather's 80th birthday, which the photo may depict. "It had been at least 20 years since everyone was together," the article read. In 1991, Meena Harris would have been about 7 years old – and in the photo, she appears to be about that age.
In sum, because Meena Harris independently verified the authenticity of the photo and also identified those in the picture, we rate this claim "True."
Sources:
Bukhari, Zinnia. 'Could Kamala Harris Invoke Her Indian Heritage by Wearing a Sari on Inauguration Day?' CNN , 15 Jan. 2021, https://www.cnn.com/style/article/kamala-harris-sari-inauguration/index.html.
'Kamala Harris Said "Chithi" During Her Speech as VP Candidate And Tamilians Can't Keep Calm'. News18 , 20 Aug. 2020, https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/kamala-harris-said-chithi-during-her-us-democratic-national-convention-speech-and-tamilians-cant-keep-calm-2803157.html.
'Live Fact Check: Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists Conference'. PBS News , 31 July 2024, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/live-fact-check-trump-at-the-national-association-of-black-journalists-conference.
Patel, Angeli. 'Op-Ed: Kamala Harris' South Asian Identity Matters Now More Than Ever'. Brown Girl Magazine , 12 Aug. 2020, https://browngirlmagazine.com/op-ed-heres-why-kamala-harris-south-asian-identity-matters-now-more-than-ever/.
Stevens, Matt, and Rebecca R. Ruiz. '"Feeling Seen for the First Time," Indian-Americans Cheer Kamala Harris's Selection'. The New York Times , 13 Aug. 2020. NYTimes.com , https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/us/politics/kamala-harris-south-asians-indian.html.
'Trump Shares Kamala Harris's Indian-Heritage Photo amid Identity Row'. India Today , 2 Aug. 2024, https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/republican-presidential-candidate-donald-trump-shared-kamala-harris-old-photo-truth-social-indian-heritage-racial-remarks-nabj-2575953-2024-08-02.
'Truth Social'. Truth Social , https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112887108527191005 . Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.
X and X. 'The Progressive Indian Grandfather Who Inspired Kamala Harris'. Los Angeles Times , 25 Oct. 2019, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-10-25/how-kamala-harris-indian-family-shaped-her-political-career.
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