During a recent interview, GOP Rep. Byron Donalds addressed the controversy surrounding former President Donald Trump's comments on Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identity. Donalds, a close ally of Trump, dismissed the issue as a 'phony controversy,' stating that most people do not care about it.
Donalds pointed out that when Harris entered the United States Senate, the Associated Press referred to her as the first Indian American senator. He highlighted a 2016 AP article that described Harris as both the first Indian woman elected to a Senate seat and the second Black woman.
When pressed on Harris' identity by the interviewer, Donalds reiterated that Harris has always identified as a Black woman and emphasized her biracial background, with a Jamaican father and Indian mother.
The conversation became heated as the interviewer questioned Donalds about Trump's recent speech in Atlanta, where he briefly touched on Harris' racial identity. Donalds defended Trump, stating that the focus of the speech was on criticizing Harris' record rather than her identity.
Donalds emphasized that Trump spent a significant portion of his speech addressing Harris' record, dedicating more time to that topic than to discussing her racial background.
