Former President Donald Trump is facing huge backlash for his recent “Black or Indian?” confusing comments about VP Kamala Harris‘ race have led many netizens to question his understanding of biracial individuals.
The controversy stems from Trump’s appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago on July 31. During the event, Trump was asked, “Some of your own supporters, including Republicans on Capitol Hill, have labelled Vice President Kamala Harris — who is the first Black and Asian American woman to serve as Vice President be on a major party ticket — as a ‘DEI hire.’ Is that acceptable language to you? And will you tell those Republicans and those supporters to stop it?”
“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 replied.
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“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. So I don’t know. Is she Indian, or is she Black?”
Netizens ridicule Trump over racial comments on Harris
One user on X (formerly Twiiter) shared a Venn diagram illustrating Harris’ heritage, with one circle labeled “Indian mother,” the other “Jamaican father,” and the intersection labeled “Kamala.” The post’s caption read, “Just a little diagram to make it easier for MAGAs who can’t read but understand.”
“Donald Trump might actually be the dumbest man in America. Either that, or he’s the most racist. Honestly, both are probably true,” another user posted.
“Kamala’s mother is Indian and father is Irish/Indian, who happens to be a Marxist professor with ancestors that owned a slave plantation in Jamaica. You won’t hear that in the legacy fake news media though,” another one chimed in.
Trump, however, later reinforced his claims on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, “Crazy Kamala is saying she’s Indian, not Black. This is a big deal. Stone cold phony. She uses everybody, including her racial identity!”
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Kamala Harris, who was born in California to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, is the first Black and South Asian woman to hold the office of Vice President in the States.
Later in the day Harris took to her X account, calling his statements “the same old show.”
She wrote, “Let me just say: The American people deserve better than Donald Trump’s divisiveness and disrespect.”
