Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Sunday told former President Trump to stop attacking Vice President Harris about her race and origins, after the president questioned her race in an attack that mimicked the “birtherism” conspiracy theory.
In an interview on Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists’ conference, Trump said Harris “just happened to be black,” suggesting she lied about her race for political advantage, a comment that was condemned as racist by both parties.
In an interview with “Fox News Sunday’s” Jackie Heinrich, Graham said Trump should focus on policies, not identity.
“So I say to President Trump: My issue with Kamala Harris is not where she comes from, it’s her judgment,” he said. “Every day that we’re not talking about her where she comes from and the terrible and dangerous liberal record that she’s had throughout her political career is a good day for her and a bad day for us. So I encourage President Trump to file a lawsuit against Kamala Harris for her poor judgment.”
Trump too He shared a copy of Harris’ birth certificate. On Truth Social, he appears to be mimicking his attacks on former President Obama’s bloodline and racist “birtherism” conspiracy theories.
Harris’ campaign has strongly condemned the attack, and political analysts have predicted the comments could hurt Trump’s approval rating among black voters.
“The hostility Donald Trump displayed on stage today is the same hostility he has displayed throughout his life, throughout his time in office and throughout his campaign for president as he sought to regain power and impose his harmful Project 2025 policies on the American people,” Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said in a statement last week.
After some party members called Harris a “DEI hire” and condemned her comments as racist, Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), urged party members to tone down their attacks on Harris’ race.
