CHICAGO (Reuters) -Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump questioned whether his Democratic rival Kamala Harris is “Black” during a contentious appearance at the country’s largest annual gathering of Black journalists on Wednesday.
“Is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said of his opponent in the presidential race, drawing a smattering of jeers. “She was Indian all the way, and all of a sudden she made a turn and became a Black person.”
Harris, whose mother was Indian and whose father is Black, is the first Black and the first Asian American U.S. vice president.
Since launching her White House campaign earlier this month, Harris has faced a barrage of sexist and racist attacks online, while Republican Party leaders have urged lawmakers to refrain from personal attacks and focus on her policy positions.
The interview – in front of a gathering of about 1,000 journalists – started on a tense note, when ABC News reporter Rachel Scott asked Trump to explain why Black voters should support him despite a history of racist comments.
In response, Trump called the question “horrible,” “hostile” and a “disgrace” and described ABC as a “fake” network.
“I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” he said.
Trump’s first-ever appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention in Chicago received a backlash from some members, prompting a co-chair of the convention to step down in protest.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Tyler Clifford, Bianca Flowers, Tim Reid and Jim Oliphant; Editing by Ross Colvin, Kat Stafford and Deepa Babington)
