After CNN anchor Dana Bash asked Vice President Kamala Harris about former President Donald Trump's prior remarks questioning her racial heritage, Harris didn't take the bait, and instead shut the question down like a boss.
Harris's interview, a joint one with her running mate, Tim Walz, took place several weeks after Trump claimed Harris "happened to turn Black” and suggested that “all of a sudden, she made a turn” in her racial identity in remarks he made at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago.
Trump was asked if he agreed with Republicans who have labeled Harris as a "DEI hire." Trump, who previously supported the racist "birther" conspiracy theory claiming that President Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen, responded by casting doubts on Harris's heritage.
He said:
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
“I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went – she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that too.”
Bash brought up that much-talked-about incident, saying:
"I want to ask you about your opponent, Donald Trump. I was a little bit surprised, people might be surprised to hear that you have never interacted with him, that you have never met him face to face. That's going to change soon [with the upcoming presidential debate]."
"But what I want to ask you about is what he said last month. He suggested that you happened to 'turn Black' recently for political purposes, questioning a core part of your identity."
Harris shook her head and said:
"Same old tired playbook."
Then, clearly finished, she shut that line of questioning—which she's faced many times over the last few weeks—with three simple words:
"Next question, please."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Those words said it all—and people couldn't help but point out just how right she is.
After the NABJ interview, New York Times reporters Ken Bensinger, Karen Yourish, and Michael Gold observed that Trump's remarks might very well cost him the voters he needs despite his campaign dedicating significant time and resources to court Black voters.
His attacks against Harris could very well backfire, they suggested, noting that in Harris, Trump "has found a particularly complicated and risky target for his trademark brand of transgression, as more Americans are suddenly tuning in to what has become a highly competitive race."
In fact, they said, "his decision to repost a string of sexually and racially charged broadsides in recent weeks suggests that he has turned up the dial when it comes to pure vulgarity and crudeness."
The polls, meanwhile, have continued to be a source of frustration for Trump.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday, Harris is leading Trump 45% to 41%, reflecting a surge in voter enthusiasm for the Vice President. This 4 percentage point advantage among registered voters represents a notable increase from the 1 point lead Harris held over Trump in a July poll.
The new survey, conducted over eight days ending Wednesday with a 2 percentage point margin of error, indicates Harris has gained significant support among women and Hispanics. She leads Trump by 13 percentage points among both demographics, 49% to 36%. This is an improvement from July, when she had a 9-point lead among women and a 6-point lead among Hispanics.
Trump remains ahead among white voters and men, though his lead among voters without a college degree has narrowed from 14 points in July to 7 points today. Trends have shown that Harris continues to make headway in both national and crucial swing state polls.
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