With a mix of neo-birtherism and condescension, Trump lies about Kamala Harris’ heritage in a disgusting example of racism.
In a display of the frailty of the Trump campaign’s momentum, Donald Trump and his allies have taken to downplaying and outright denying Vice-President Kamala Harris’ Black identity. The move, which mixes with a series of unfortunately expected sexist attacks, is yet another example of the continuous appeal to prejudice that is Trumpism.
Delusional Bigotry
The attacks began last month during Trump’s interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). The interview, which the Associated Press described as “hostile,” led to several complaints by Trump, including an instance in which the former President falsely claimed that the NABJ was having technical difficulties, which delayed the interview. In reality, Trump delayed for over an hour because he and his team objected to live fact-checking of his statements. However, what is more critical here is Trump’s blatant claim that Harris “happened to turn Black..”
The claims by Trump are nothing short of a bigoted attack and a flailing attempt to downplay the experiences of Harris’ multiracial background. It is also worth noting that Harris’ father, Donald Harris, is a Jamaican American. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was an Indian American.
In the simplest terms, Harris can be multiple ethnic groups at once and not denigrate either of them by emphasizing one at any given time. It is especially disgusting because the underlying attitude presented here is that Donald Trump, a man who has demonstrated a clear and consistent pattern of racist behavior, is somehow entitled to judge the legitimacy of a person of color’s background.
There is no reality in which such an assumption is acceptable, and any argument to the contrary not only betrays a level of bigotry on the part of the person advocating for the said position but also demonstrates a willingness to engage in abject cruelty. It is yet another reason to vote against Trump and the Trumpist movement that has plagued our nation for nearly a decade.
If you like my work and want to support me, you can find the donation link on my Kofi link. Thank you, I really appreciate it.
References
“A Speaking Invitation to Donald Trump Splits the Most Prominent American Group for Black Journalists.” 2024. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-c84311a4e3bec3fe3052236151597d81 (August 8, 2024).
“Election 2024: Trump Falsely Suggests Harris Misled Voters about Her Race | AP News.” https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-1e96aa530e88013ed6f577feaf89ccb6 (August 8, 2024).
Rashid, Qasim. 2024a. “MAGA Erupts In Racism After Realizing JD Vance’s Wife Is Indian.” Let’s Address This with Qasim Rashid. https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/maga-erupts-in-racism-after-realizing (August 1, 2024).
Rashid, Qasim. 2024b. “MAGA Racism & Media Failures.” Let’s Address This with Qasim Rashid. https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/maga-racism-and-media-failures?publication_id=2550223&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=bjjxr&utm_medium=email (August 1, 2024).
“Reversing Course, Trump Admits Obama Was Born in the US | AP News.” https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-events-61f7085d848248cd98410027d33f2101 (August 8, 2024).
“Trump Is Making His 2024 Campaign about Harris’ Race | AP News.” https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-nabj-black-voters-race-8d3c811ec6369aadef00e25e29ec0fab (August 8, 2024).
Tucker, Brianna, and Hannah Knowles. 2024. “Trump Says Harris ‘Became a Black Person’ as NABJ Event Turns Hostile, Chaotic.” Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/31/trump-black-voters-nabj-harris/ (August 1, 2024).
“Who Is Donald Harris? Kamala’s Jamaican Dad Is a Prominent Economist | Loop Trinidad & Tobago.” https://tt.loopnews.com/content/who-donald-harris-jamaican-dad-kamala-prominent-economist-4 (August 8, 2024).
Leave a Reply