Trump Questions Kamala Harris's Identity at Mar-a-Lago

At a Mar-a-Lago press conference, former President Donald Trump dodged a query about Kamala Harris's Black identity, labelling her actions as 'disrespectful' to Black and Indian communities. Trump confirmed his participation in future debates but implied he may skip a debate against Harris.

During a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, former US President Donald Trump sidestepped a question regarding his claim that Vice President Kamala Harris had 'turned Black.' He described her behavior as 'disrespectful' to both Black and Indian communities. A reporter inquired why Harris, who attended Howard University and has Jamaican American heritage, would only recently identify as Black. 'Kamala Harris's father is Jamaican American, and she went to a historically Black college, how is she only recently deciding to be Black?' the reporter asked.

Trump responded by suggesting the reporter should direct the question to Harris, not him. 'Well, you'll have to ask her that question because she's the one that said it. I didn't say it. And I very much appreciate that question, but you'll have to ask her,' Trump said. He further added that he found Harris's behavior very 'disrespectful' to both Black and Indian communities. 'But to me, it doesn't matter. But to her, from her standpoint, I think it's very disrespectful to both, whether it's Indian or Black. I think it's very disrespectful to both,' he said.

Trump also highlighted his past support for Harris, noting, 'I've known her for a long time. I contributed to her campaign a long time ago because I was a developer. I contributed to lots of campaigns of Democrats, and Republicans, some were liberal and some were conservative.' On Thursday, Trump confirmed he has accepted debate invitations from NBC News, Fox News, and ABC News.

'I think it's very important to have debates,' Trump said while addressing a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, adding that he accepted invitations from NBC News, Fox News, and ABC News. Initially, Trump had agreed to debate President Joe Biden and accepted ABC's invitation in May. However, after Biden withdrew from the race last month and Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Trump implied he might not debate Harris on ABC.

(With inputs from agencies.)