The Questioning of Kamala Harris’s Identity by Donald Trump
In a surprising move, former President Donald J. Trump raised questions about Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity on Wednesday, bringing a long-standing and unfounded line of attack from the fringes of political discourse into the mainstream of a presidential campaign. This rhetoric has been used by various critics over the years, who have accused Ms. Harris of manipulating her personal identity for political gain, suggesting that she is not who she claims to be.
Such attacks, steeped in misinformation, conspiracy theories, and outright falsehoods, have intensified dramatically since Ms. Harris emerged as the likely Democratic nominee following President Biden’s announcement that he would not seek a second term. Just hours after this announcement, conservative provocateur Laura Loomer took to the social media platform X to assert that Ms. Harris “pretends to be black,” labeling her a part of what she called a “delusional, Democrat DEI quota.”
The very next day, Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host who recently spoke at the Republican National Convention, echoed similar sentiments on his highly viewed interview show, claiming that the vice president was “sort of Black, sort of Indian.” Adding to this chorus, rapper Lil Pump, a known Trump supporter with a substantial following of around 20 million across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X, stated that “Kamala Harris isn’t even black…she’s Indian.”
These comments appear to be strategically aimed at dissuading Black voters from supporting the Democratic candidate and fostering the notion that Ms. Harris lacks authenticity in her political representation. This narrative has rapidly escalated, transforming what was once a mere trickle of disparaging content into a relentless stream. Conservative corners of the internet, previously focused on President Biden’s age, have swiftly shifted their attention to Ms. Harris as their new target.
Old video clips featuring Ms. Harris acknowledging her South Asian heritage have resurfaced, gaining renewed traction, alongside memes that poke fun at her speaking style. Even a Billy Joel song has been humorously altered to suggest that “she’s not Black or white, Indian, Jamaican.”
It is essential to note that Vice President Harris is the daughter of a Black Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both of whom immigrated to the United States prior to her birth in Oakland, California. Throughout her life, she has proudly identified as both Black and Indian, embracing her diverse heritage.
