Donald Trump spent much of last week taking aim at Kamala Harris’ racial identity — up to and including the Republican promoting messages related to the Democrat’s birth certificate. The tactics were as racist as they were familiar: Axios described the effort as “Trump’s new birtherism.”
Earlier this week, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a former Trump critic who became a sycophantic ally, appeared on Fox News and suggested the party steer clear of comments about Harris’ race and ethnicity. “Every day we’re talking about her heritage … is a good day for her and a bad day for us,” the South Carolina Republican said.
Putting aside the fact that it’s a bad sign when a senator has to publicly appeal to his party’s presidential nominee to be less racist, Graham’s advice appeared sensible. Even Trump’s allies struggled to explain why, exactly, the GOP nominee was investing so much energy into targeting Harris on racial grounds.
The former president nevertheless ignored Graham’s recommendation. The New Republic highlighted one of the more memorable exchanges from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago news conference:
Donald Trump hasn’t let up on insisting that Vice President Kamala Harris only recently became Black. During a bumbling press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, the Republican presidential nominee deflected a direct question probing his reasoning for claiming that the biracial Democrat had “turned Black.”
When a reporter, referencing one of Trump’s comments from last week, specifically asked the former president how it is that Harris only recently decided to be Black, the GOP nominee replied, “You’ll have to ask her that question because she’s the one that said it. I didn’t say it.”
As part of the same exchange, Trump went on to argue: “From her standpoint, I think it’s very disrespectful to both, really. Whether it’s Indian or Black, I think it’s very disrespectful to both.”
Reporter: How is Kamala Harris recently deciding to be Black?
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 8, 2024
Trump: You have to ask her because she said it I didn't say it.. I think it’s very disrespectful to both whether it’s Indian or Black pic.twitter.com/GLb4MEOaNS
So, a few things.
First, the idea that he “didn’t say” that Harris recently decided to be Black is the opposite of the truth. Appearing at the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention last week, Trump said — out loud, on the record and on camera — “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I did not 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.” He added, “She was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and … she became Black. … Is she Indian, or is she Black?” Second, the idea that a biracial person is being “disrespectful” by honoring their mother’s and father’s heritage is every bit as offensive as it seems. Finally, spare a thought for the Trump sycophants who’ve tried and failed to defend the former president’s fixation on Harris’ race — Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, I’m looking in your direction — only to have the GOP nominee casually stroll back into the racist trap of his own making.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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