Donald Trump claimed he "didn't know" that Vice President Kamala Harris is Black during a contentious interview with members of a Black journalists' association The controversy began with the very first question, which addressed Trump's past comments targeting Black journalists and lawmakers, as well as his meeting with a white supremacist at Mar-a-Lago.
After criticizing his initial questioner on a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump turned his attention to Harris, who has mixed heritage, questioning her background and implying that her association with Black culture was insincere. The presidential race between Trump and Harris has intensified and both have been attacking each other over the past few days.
Trump Had No Knowledge
"I didn't know she was black," Trump shouted. "I don't know is she Indian or is she black."
"She was Indian all the way, and then suddenly she made a turn and became a Black person," Trump said, a day after Harris attended a rally in Atlanta with leading Black lawmakers and enthusiastic supporters.
Trump has been making a concerted effort to attract Black voters, showing some success by outperforming Joe Biden's 2020 poll numbers. He held a campaign event in the Bronx and has included "Blacks for Trump" supporters at his rallies.
Meanwhile, Harris has seen an increase in the polls following a surge of publicity after being positioned as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in place of Joe Biden, who is 81.
On Wednesday, Trump immediately clashed with his first questioner after she posed a multi-part question addressing several of his remarks targeting African American journalists and Fulton County DA Fani Willis.
ABC's Rachel Scott noted that many people felt it was inappropriate for him to be in Chicago for the interview, citing his previous comments calling a Black journalist a "loser," criticizing an African American congresswoman, and referencing his meeting with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago.
"First of all I don't think I've ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner," Trump told Scott, who asked the lead-off question.
"You don't even say hello how are you?" Trump said, calling ABC a fake news network.
Trump Calls ABC Fake
"I came here in good spirit. I love the black population of this country," Trump said. "I think it's a very rude introduction. I don't know exactly why you would do something like that," he said.
Trump then criticized the faulty equipment used for the interview and blamed the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for delaying the interview, which started more than 30 minutes behind schedule.
"I was told my opponent was going to be here. You invited me under false pretense. And then you said you can't do it with zoom," he said, after the group announced that it was negotiating with Harris to do a zoom interview next month.
"I have been the best president for the black population since Abraham Lincoln," Trump said. He called the initial questions "hostile" and a "disgrace."
Trump repeatedly criticized the AV equipment, complaining that "the mics are really in lousy shape."
Regarding, the presumed Democratic nominee, Trump remarked that she "was always of Indian heritage and was only promoting Indian heritage."
