Vice President Kamala Harris responded forcefully to recent comments made by former President Donald Trump during his interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
Speaking at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.’s 60th Biennial Boulé in Houston, Texas, Harris addressed Trump’s controversial remarks, which included a false assertion that she “happened to turn Black” only a few years ago.
During his interview, Trump questioned Harris’s heritage and suggested that she had only recently started identifying as Black.
“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,” Trump claimed. He further insinuated confusion about her identity, asking, “So I don’t know, is she Indian, or is she Black?”
Harris, a graduate of Howard University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first historically Black sorority, has consistently identified as both Black and South Asian, reflecting her diverse heritage.
In her speech, she emphasized the importance of unity and condemned divisive rhetoric.
“It is so good to be with you this evening. And I say that as a proud member of the Divine Nine,” Harris began, addressing the audience of Sigma Gamma Rho members.
She praised the organization’s long-standing commitment to public service and highlighted the shared vision for America’s future, one of “freedom, opportunity, and justice…not for some, but for all.”
Harris did not shy away from addressing Trump’s inflammatory comments, stating:
“This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, and it was the same old show. The divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth. A leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts.”
The Vice President also took the opportunity to outline the Biden-Harris administration’s accomplishments and plans, contrasting them with what she described as Trump’s regressive policies.
She criticized Trump’s “Project 2025,” which she described as a “900-page agenda of extremism” that would reverse progress on critical issues like healthcare, education, and economic equality.
In her closing remarks, Harris rallied the audience to take action in the upcoming election, stressing the stakes involved.
“Election Day is in 97 days. And in this moment, once again, our nation is counting on you to energize, to organize, and to mobilize,” she urged. “Because when we organize, mountains move; when we mobilize, nations change; and when we vote, we make history.”
As the campaign season intensifies, Harris’s remarks underscore the deepening divide in American politics and the importance of voter engagement and participation in shaping the nation’s future.
