In what can only be described as a controversial appearance, former President Donald Trump questioned Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identity during the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago, stating, "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," according to a report by The Chicago Tribune. Born to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, Harris has consistently identified as Black and Asian American; she attended Howard University, a renowned HBCU, and is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Trump's assertions at the convention, where he was initially invited for an open dialogue, stirred palpable tension among the attendees, some of whom gasped and cringed at his remarks, and his statements were met with criticism from both the audience and the Harris campaign, the latter denounced the comments as a "taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump's MAGA rallies," in a response reported by The Chicago Tribune. Trump's campaign, on the other hand, accused the convention organizers of directing "unhinged and unprofessional commentary" toward him, even though he faced questions primarily about his own past statements.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign rebutted the former president's remarks, calling them "the same hostility he has shown throughout his life," as Michael Tyler, the campaign's communications director, told The Associated Press. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who is Black, branded Trump's comments "repulsive" and said, "It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify," during a briefing with reporters.
The former president's engagement with topics of race has a complex history, from the propagation of birtherism claims against former President Obama to personal attacks on Black female White House correspondents – a practice condemned in 2018 by the NABJ and sprinkled throughout his provocative political career, he has donated to diverse political candidates including Kamala Harris, which a Trump campaign spokesperson in the past pointed to as evidence that he was not racist. Amid the turbulent meeting, Trump who has often vilified Chicago, did not relent in his criticisms and even suggested immigrants are taking "Black jobs," a claim with no evidence to substantiate it when pressed about what a "Black job" was, Trump responded nonspecifically: "A Black job is anybody that has a job," as detailed in a report by The Chicago Tribune.
Trump's invitation to the NABJ event had previously stirred a divide within the organization and seen the resignation of the convention's co-chair; this speaks to the broader dissent and debate his presence induces among journalists of color, notably in this election year, the organization's gatherings typically extend invitations to presidential candidates. Vice President Harris herself, while not in attendance at the convention, did briefly touch upon Trump's remarks while addressing a gathering of Sigma Gamma Rho, dismissing them as "the same old show," and called for more respect in public discourse, as reported by The Associated Press.
