Rep. Byron Donald (R-Fla.) said he doesn't think former President Trump will mention Vice President Harris' “identity” during Tuesday night's presidential debate.
Speaking with CNN's Boris Sanchez on Tuesday, Donald was asked if Trump plans to follow through on Harris' calls to call out Trump's comments about race to his face.
Sanchez was referring to comments Trump made at the National Association of Black Journalists' conference, where he said he wasn't sure if Harris was black because she had so far emphasized her Indian ancestry. He said Harris “just happened to be black.”
Harris responded to the uncertainty about the presidential debate and Trump's previous comments by saying that if he had something to say, “he should say it to my face.”
Donald said he doesn't expect Trump to talk about Harris' race at the debate because it's an issue “nobody really cares about.”
“He mentioned it once and then he hasn't mentioned it since. What Donald Trump is focused on is the American people,” Donald said.
The Florida senator said Trump is likely to talk about the border, the economy and foreign policy.
“He's going to say that to her. He's not talking about her identity,” he said.
Ms Sanchez hit back at Mr Donald, saying it was Mr Trump who brought race into the election with his comments at the convention, while Mr Donald blamed the event's host, ABC's Rachel Scott, for bringing the issue up.
Sanchez said Scott was quoting Republicans who had criticized Harris' race, noting that Trump has hosted rallies and participated in media interviews in which he has yet to discuss “Harris' identity.”
The CNN anchor suggested Trump may have stopped talking about Harris' race because of the backlash he'd received over comments he made at the press conference.
Trump's remarks drew criticism from both sides of the aisle.
Senate Republican leader John Thune of South Dakota said Trump should focus on policies rather than race in his campaign against Harris, while Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan called the comments “unacceptable and abhorrent.”
