Donald Trump Questions Whether Kamala Harris Is Black or Indian, Says She 'Became a Black Person'

During an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention on Wednesday, July 31, Donald Trump questioned whether Kamala Harris is Black or Indian and suggested she "became a Black person."

Harris, the first Black and Asian-American woman to serve as vice president, has faced accusations that she's a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hire by Republican critics. The talking point was brought up during the interview by ABC's Rachel Scott and Trump was asked if that was "acceptable language" to be used against a political opponent. "How do you define DEI? Go ahead, how do you define it?" to which the journalist explained what DEI stood for as Trump repeatedly dodged the question and asked her to "define" it.

"Do you believe that vice president Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she's a Black woman?" Scott asked. "Well, I can say no, I think it's maybe a little bit different," he replied. "So, I've known her a long time indirectly, not directly... and 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? ... You know what, I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't."

He said that Harris was "Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn" and "she became a Black person." His bizarre comments were met with some laughs from the audience. "I think, I think somebody should look into that, too, when you ask, continue in a very hostile, nasty tone," he continued.

He was asked one last time about the "DEI hire" talking point, and he concluded, "I really don't know... Could be, there are some."

Kamala Harris, who will face off against Trump this election, was born in Oakland, California to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Multiple notable Republicans, including Rep. Tim Burchett and Harriett Hageman, have referred to Harris as a "DEI hire" in their criticism of the Democratic presidential candidate. Trump, meanwhile, appears to be repeating the questions he raised about former President Barack Obama's heritage during his tenure at the White House.

In a statement, Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler criticized Trump for questioning Harris' racial identity. "Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency—while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in," Tyler said, per CBS News. "Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us."

During the same Q&A session on Wednesday, Trump also suggested that he was the best American president for Black people since Abraham Lincoln.

Curiously, he also took a moment to double down on his bizarre "Black jobs" comment he made during his last debate with Joe Biden last month.

"My message is to stop people from invading our country that are taking frankly, a lot of problems with it, but one of the big problems and a lot of the journalists in this room I know and I have great respect for, a lot of the journalists in this room are Black," Trump said when asked what message he wanted to deliver at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention. "I will tell you that coming from the border are millions and millions of people that happen to be taking Black jobs."

When pressed by Rachel Scott what, exactly, a "Black job" is, he replied, "A Black job is anybody that has a job, that's what it is."