Donald Trump challenged Kamala Harris' identity politics on race during an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago that quickly turned combative Wednesday.
The Republican former president said Harris, the first Black and Asian American woman to serve as vice president, had in the past only promoted her 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?" Trump said while addressing the group's annual convention.
As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation's most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged to the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues' legislation aimed at strengthening voting rights and reform policing.
Trump's appearance at the organization's annual gathering immediately became heated, with the former president sparring with interviewer Rachel Scott of ABC News and accusing her of giving him a "very rude introduction" with a tough first question about his past criticism of Black people and Black journalists, his attack on Black prosecutors and the dinner he had at his Florida club with a white supremacist.
"I think it's disgraceful that I came here in good spirit – I love the Black population of this country, I've done so much for the Black population of this country," Trump said.
Trump continued his attacks on Scott's network, ABC News, which he has been arguing should not host the next presidential debate Sept. 10, despite his earlier agreement to that debate with President Joe Biden.
Trump noted illegal immigrants in the U.S. are "taking Black jobs." When pushed by Scott on what constituted a "Black job," Trump responded by saying was "any job" held by a Black worker.
At one point he said, "I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln."
The audience responded with a mix of boos and some applause.
The former president's invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among NABJ that spilled online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.
But Trump's acceptance of NABJ's invitation prompted at least one high-profile member of the organization to step down as the co-chair of the convention. Others expressed concerns that Trump would be given a platform to make false claims or give the impression he had the group's endorsement.
Harmeet Dhillon, former vice chair of the California Republican Party, founder of Dhillon Law Group and a native of India, called Harris a "chameleon" when it comes to her racial identity.
"Harris identifies as whatever the audience wants to hear," she said in a statement sent to Newsmax. "In Indian crowds, she's Indian. Lately she's Black. Rarely is she Jamaican unless advocating casual marijuana use. She identifies as tough on crime – or defund the police/BLM, depending. She's a chameleon."
As he campaigns for the White House a third time, Trump has sought to appear outside his traditional strongholds of support and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over Black Americans, who have been Democrats' most committed voting bloc.
The vice president declined to come to the convention and Trump noted he showed under false pretenses, because he was told Harris would be there.
The NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it was in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.
Trump posted on his social media network he was told he could not do the event virtually.
"She declined, and I am getting ready to land in Chicago in order to be there," Trump wrote. "Now I am told that she is doing the Event on ZOOM. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"
Trump later Wednesday is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Harris was scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., until Wednesday afternoon, when she travels to Texas for a campaign event and to speak to a sorority in Houston in the evening. She is scheduled to attend the funeral Thursday for longtime Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
In Chicago, activists gathered outside to protest Trump. They stood across from the entrance to the hotel where Trump was speaking. They were chanting and playing horns and other instruments, and some held Harris campaign signs and chanted "Whose streets? Our streets."
Information from The Associated Press was used to compile this report.