We’ve got a bit of a political dust-up to discuss today involving Ohio Senator JD Vance, former President Donald Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The drama unfolded when Vance, during a visit to the U.S. southern border in Arizona, responded to a question from CNN about Trump’s recent controversial remarks regarding Harris’s racial identity.
To set the scene, Vance was in Cochise County, Arizona, where he criticized Harris’s performance as the border czar. However, the conversation took a turn when CNN correspondent Steve Contorno asked Vance if Trump’s comments about Harris being “all of a sudden Black” gave him pause, especially as a father of three biracial children. Vance, who is married to Usha Vance, an attorney of Indian descent, responded sharply.
“They don’t give me pause at all,” Vance said, standing firm in his support for Trump. He argued that Trump was merely pointing out what he sees as Harris’s tendency to adapt her identity depending on her audience. Vance described Harris as a “chameleon,” criticizing her for adopting different personas and accents depending on where she is speaking. He cited her recent speech in Atlanta, where Harris used a Southern accent, as an example of this behavior.
🚨New: @JDVance destroys a CNN reporter who tried to ask him race-bait questions about Harris.
pic.twitter.com/mzm8vrIibC— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 1, 2024
Vance didn’t stop there. He accused Harris of being inconsistent on various issues, such as crime and police funding, claiming she presents herself differently depending on the political climate. He argued that it’s reasonable for Trump to call out what he views as Harris’s opportunistic shifts in identity and policy positions.
The controversy began when Trump made comments at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, questioning Harris’s racial identity. Trump claimed that Harris, who has Indian and Jamaican heritage, was previously more focused on her Indian roots and only recently began identifying as Black. He suggested that Harris’s shift in identity was politically motivated, a claim that Harris’s supporters and many others have found offensive.
Trump’s comments have stirred up plenty of reactions. Some see it as a deliberate attempt to undermine Harris, who has been a target of criticism throughout her political career. Others, like Vance, view Trump’s remarks as a legitimate critique of Harris’s perceived political pandering.
This isn’t the first time Harris has faced scrutiny for her public persona. Recently, she was criticized on social media for using a Southern accent during a speech in Atlanta, which some saw as an attempt to connect with her audience in a way that felt inauthentic. Critics have accused Harris of pandering, a charge that has been leveled at her before, particularly when it comes to how she presents her racial identity.
As the 2024 election season heats up, these kinds of personal and identity-based attacks are likely to become more common. With Harris now the presumptive Democratic nominee following President Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, the spotlight on her is only going to intensify.
