Former President Donald Trump recently made an unfounded allegation that Vice President Kamala Harris “happened to turn Black” some years ago, claiming she made a sudden shift in her racial identity. However, this assertion is not supported by facts, as Harris has consistently identified as both Black and Indian-American throughout her public life.
Trump’s comments at a Chicago event
During an event with Black journalists in Chicago, Trump was asked if he agreed with Republicans who referred to Harris as a “DEI hire.” In response, Trump questioned Harris’ heritage, saying, “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?”
He further remarked at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, “I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went – she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that too.”
Harris responds to Trump’s remarks
In response, Harris addressed Trump’s comments at a Sigma Gamma Rho sorority gathering in Houston, describing his remarks as “the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect.” She added, “Let me just say, the American people deserve better.”
Fact-checking Trump’s statements
Harris has consistently identified as both Black and Indian-American, honoring both her parents’ heritages. Her Senate biography notes her as “the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history.”
In her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold, Harris detailed her mixed-race identity and upbringing, emphasizing the importance of both Indian and Black cultures in her life. She wrote about her mother’s understanding that she was raising two Black daughters and her determination to ensure they grew into confident, proud Black women.
Harris has always described her racial identity as Black, South Asian, Indian-American, African-American, and Jamaican-American, reflecting her parents’ backgrounds.
Harris’ heritage
Kamala Harris, the first Black woman and Asian-American on a major presidential ticket in the United States, is the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian-American, and Donald Harris, a Jamaican-American.
Donald Harris emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica in 1964, a country where most of the population descended from enslaved Africans brought to work on sugar estates by the British in the 18th century. As of 2012, 90% of Jamaicans were of African origin.Shyamala Gopalan, a Tamil Indian-American, passed away in 2009.
Harris’ upbringing reflected both her parents’ rich cultural heritages, shaping her identity as a proud representative of both communities.