Trump’s NABJ interview ‘consistent with his entire record,’ Philadelphia Democrats say

A day after former President Donald Trump made provocative remarks about racial identity, Vice President Kamala Harris, Philadelphia Democrats and labor leaders criticized Trump on Thursday for saying Harris at one point “accidentally turned black.”

Harris, whose mother is Indian and father is Jamaican, has publicly embraced both identities. She attended Howard University, a historically black university, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a black sorority.

Trump, however, is trying to employ her Native American heritage to undermine her popularity with black voters, who will be key in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. Harris would be the first black woman to serve as president and the first Asian American if she defeats Trump in November.

” READ MORE: Donald Trump Questions Kamala Harris’ Racial Identity and Returns to Pennsylvania for First Time Since Assassination

“What he did is consistent with his entire record,” state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Philadelphia) said at a news conference at the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ office. “He hates black people. He hates women, and he especially hates talented black people and talented women. He can’t stand that because it threatens him and his existence.”

Hughes was joined in condemning Trump by state Reps. Danilo Burgos, Joe Hohenstein and Ben Waxman and City Council members Kendra Brooks, Rue Landau and Anthony Phillips.

“We know she’s an advocate for all communities of color,” Landau said. “We know she’s wonderful and beautiful and can identify the way she is. And she’s a proud, proud member of the black community.”

Trump has a long history of racially offensive comments. Before entering politics, he called for execution of the so-called Central Park Fivea group of four young black men and one Latino man who were falsely accused of assault and rape. He entered the national political conversation by falsely suggesting that former President Barack Obama was born outside the United States. And as president, Trump reportedly called Haiti and some African countries “shithole” countries.

“Does this surprise you? I don’t,” said Barbara Cherry, a 32BJ member who works as a janitor in a Center City building and spoke at Thursday’s news conference. “Racism and sexism are exactly what Donald Trump is about, and I’m glad he showed us exactly who he is in front of a crowd of black journalists and the country.”

Trump’s comments, which disparaged Harris’ identity as being of mixed heritage, came during an interview Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention in Chicago. “She was Native American all along, and then all of a sudden she changed her heritage,” Trump said at the event. “… I think someone needs to look into that.”

That same day, Trump’s campaign displayed an image of an article about Harris’s Indian-American heritage in Harrisburg ahead of a rally for the former president.

Trump doubled down on his comments. On Wednesday, he posted a photo of Harris in a sari on his social media platform Truth Social, writing, “Thank you Kamala for the beautiful photo you sent many years ago! Your warmth, friendship, and love for your Indian heritage are greatly appreciated.”

This line of attack is odd because Harris has long been open about her mixed heritage.

For example, she wrote in her 2019 memoirs. that “my mother, grandparents, aunts and uncle instilled in us pride in our South Asian roots” and that her mother “knew that her adopted homeland would see [Harris’ sister] Maya and I were black girls and she was determined to make us grow into confident and proud black women.

At a campaign event in Nevada in July, Harris spoke about how her mother emigrated from India at age 19 and met her father when they were both dynamic in the civil rights movement. She said her parents took her to marches when she was in a stroller.

“We stand for the beauty, diversity and promise of America,” Harris told the crowd of Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, as recorded in the White House minutes.

The attempt to make Harris’ Indian heritage a Trump campaign issue comes after his vice presidential candidate’s wife, Usha Vance, an Indian-American and practicing Hindu, faced a wave of racist insults online.

Senator JD Vance, the Ohio Republican who is running for vice president alongside Trump, spoke about online attacks on his wife on Megyn Kelly show just four days before Trump’s NABJ speech.

“I love her for who she is. Of course, she’s not a white person, and some white supremacists have accused us, attacked us for that. But I just love Usha,” Vance said.

Pennsylvania Republicans generally did not respond to Trump’s comments, while some GOP representatives from other countries criticized their party leader.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is running for Senate, said Trump’s comments were “unacceptable and abhorrent.”

U.S. Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican and a ranking GOP member, urged the president to focus on policy issues.

“The campaign is, has to be, has to be about the issues, and there are plenty of things to talk about,” Thune told reporters in Washington. “I think that’s just the focus. That’s how we win in November.”