On Sunday, ABC host George Stephanopoulos put Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida on the spot during a discussion about Vice President Harris’ racial identity.
“What prompts former President Trump to question the vice president’s racial identity?” Stephanopoulos inquired of Donalds following Trump’s remarks during a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
Harris was born in 1964 to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother and spent considerable time in her early years in Berkeley, California.
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ABC host George Stephanopoulos put Rep. Byron Donalds on the spot about Vice President Harris’ racial identity during an engaging exchange. (ABC)
“This is essentially a manufactured issue,” Donalds remarked. “I don’t think it’s significant. Most people don’t. However, if we want to be precise, when Kamala Harris entered the United States Senate, it was the AP that declared her the first Indian-American senator.”
“In the grand scheme of things, it’s irrelevant,” Donalds continued, asserting that he thought voters are more concerned about “inflation,” illegal immigration, and the fentanyl crisis.
“You just repeated the derogatory term again,” Stephanopoulos countered. “If it’s insignificant, why do you constantly scrutinize her identity? She has always claimed to be a Black woman; she is biracial.”
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Donalds noted that while Trump briefly touched on Harris’ racial background during a rally in Atlanta, he primarily focused on the vice president’s political record.(MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“Why are you questioning that aspect?” Stephanopoulos asked.
Donalds reiterated that Trump’s reference to Harris’ racial identity was brief and that his focus during the rally was primarily on her record as the vice president.
“She was the most liberal senator in the United States Senate,” he claimed. “That is an established fact.”
Stephanopoulos responded by clarifying Donalds’ assertions regarding the AP News report, saying, “AP did not state that Kamala Harris is not Black. She is biracial. She has Indian heritage as well as African American heritage. You keep repeating this derogatory implication. It’s unclear why you and the president persist, but it’s evident you’re not acknowledging its inaccuracy, and we’ve clarified that for our audience.”
The Trump campaign has not responded promptly to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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