Lagatar24 Desk
Washington: Donald Trump is facing intense backlash for questioning the racial identity of his election rival Kamala Harris. For those familiar with Trump’s history of inflammatory language, this smear is not surprising.
Trump’s political ascent was marked by the “birther” conspiracy theory of the 2010s, which falsely claimed that then-president Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, was born abroad. Critics cite this as one of many instances demonstrating Trump’s racist tendencies, from being sued in the 1970s for discriminating against Black tenants to his controversial response to white supremacist marchers in 2017.
Trump’s latest controversial claim surfaced Wednesday when he suggested that Harris, the first female and non-white vice president, had only “recently become a Black person” for political gain. Harris, like millions of Americans in the growing demographic, is of mixed race and has consistently celebrated her Black and South Asian heritage.
These comments thrust Trump back into the media spotlight after Harris’s significant entry into the presidential race but also renewed focus on his extensive record of racial controversies. Scott Jennings, a veteran strategist and former aide to President George W. Bush, told CNN, “He did crap the bed… The only question is whether he’s going to roll around in it or get up and change the sheets.”
Trump’s inflammatory remarks came during a combative interaction with African American journalists in Chicago. At 78, Trump is desperate to win over Black voters from Harris, who has significantly eroded his polling leads since entering the race. However, the invitation to this media event was already contentious due to Trump’s history of belittling Black female reporters.
Jennings advised Trump to move on from the scandal, but the former president has doubled down, sharing images of Harris celebrating her Indian heritage as a misguided “gotcha.”
Trump, fresh off surviving an assassination attempt in July, saw his campaign thrown into turmoil when Harris, 59, replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for the November 5 election. Political analyst Keith Gaddie from Texas Christian University suggested that Trump’s latest remarks are a desperate attempt to regain the limelight. Gaddie also noted the significance of Trump’s comments in the context of a discussion with African American journalists, viewing it as a strategy to appeal to his white base by “battling with Black female journalists.”
Bill Kristol, former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle, believes Trump aims to revive old narratives about Harris being inauthentic after her leftward shift during the 2020 primaries. Kristol remarked, “Trump has no sense of decency. It would be nice if this were disqualifying for political success… but decency doesn’t always prevail. It needs to be aggressively defended and indecency exposed.”
While some see Trump’s racial remarks as a calculated political strategy, others argue they reflect his true character. Donald Nieman, a political analyst from Binghamton University, notes that Trump’s attacks on minorities have historically energized his base, crucial for his political victories. However, these remarks also alienate swing voters, critical in recent elections.
Nicholas Creel, a political scientist at Georgia College and State University, told AFP that the latest controversy highlights Trump’s lack of self-control and narcissism, describing it as “Trump being Trump.” Creel dismissed the notion of a strategic motive, instead seeing it as “an insensitive comment from a latently racist old man who thinks he can do no wrong.”
