In Pennsylvania, a group of Black male voters expressed to a local reporter that they did not view Vice President Kamala Harris as Black until former President Trump’s remarks prompted them to reconsider.
On Saturday, CNN host Michael Smerconish aired a segment featuring local CBS news reporter Joel D. Smith engaging with a group of potential Black voters at a barbershop about their views on Harris.
“Is Kamala going to make you more or less likely to vote Democrat?” Smith queried the men.
Before replying, one of the participants addressed the barber, saying, “Greg, hold on Greg. Is Kamala Black, yes or no?”
A discussion among Black voters regarding Kamala Harris’s racial identity. (CNN screenshot)
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“I’ll let her address that, but to me, no,” he replied.
The man then posed the same question to his peers sitting nearby.
“I share that perspective,” one responded.
“I heard she wasn’t,” another added. “I heard she’s half Black and half Asian.”
During his show, Smerconish remarked that he had played an audio version of the clip on his radio show Thursday, noting the feedback he received highlighted that these individuals did not reflect the broader Black community.
“When I aired that audio on my Sirius XM radio program Thursday, many callers who identified as African-American swiftly indicated that those men were the exception, not the norm. Some characterized them as low-information voters, akin to those you’d find among White voters,” Smerconish noted.
Former President Trump responds to questions at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago on July 31, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
He also pointed out that this footage was captured before Trump’s controversial session at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) on Wednesday, where Trump claimed that Harris changed her racial identity.
“She has always identified with Indian heritage and was primarily promoting it,” Trump stated. “I didn’t realize she was Black until years later when she chose to identify as Black. So, I’m uncertain, is she Indian or is she Black?”
Trump’s remarks drew immediate criticism for questioning Harris’s “Blackness.”
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“To walk into a gathering of Black journalists and question someone’s ‘Blackness’ is a profound disrespect. A reminder to all: we cannot change our skin color, nor do we wish to,” stated NAACP President Derrick Johnson.
Black journalists rallied in defense of Kamala Harris after Trump’s comments at the NABJ convention. (Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)
“I recognize he is a presidential candidate, but historically, Republicans have largely shunned our conventions or refused to engage with them. So why now? Is it to undermine Vice President Kamala Harris? I believe that is unfair to our organization,” remarked longtime NABJ member Justice B. Hill.
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