Vice President Harris on Wednesday directly responded to former President Trump’s mockery of her roots earlier in the day, saying the American people deserve to be treated better than the former president.
In an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, Trump said Harris “was always of Indian descent” but “just happened to be black.”
“It was the same old show: divisive and disrespectful,” Harris said of Trump’s comments.
“And I would say the American people deserve better,” she said. “Americans deserve leaders who will tell us the truth, leaders who don’t react to the facts with hostility and anger. They deserve leaders who understand that our differences do not divide us, but that they are an essential source of our strength.”
Harris, who is both Indian-American and African-American, attended Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C., where she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Her remarks Wednesday came at Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.’s 60th biennial ball in Houston to celebrate the newest members of the Divine Nine, a group of black fraternity and sorority members.
“At this moment, once again, our country is counting on you. I urge you to unite and mobilize,” she told the crowd. “Because when we unite, mountains move. When we mobilize, our country changes. When we vote, history is made.”
Ms Harris also criticised Mr Trump over Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation plan for the next Republican president, from which Mr Trump and his campaign have sought to distance themselves.
“We are working to move our country forward, but let me be clear: there are those who are trying to move our country backwards,” she said.
She said freedom was a pillar of her campaign, pledging to protect a variety of freedoms, including the freedom to love who you love, the freedom to learn about America’s entire history, and the freedom of women to make decisions about their own bodies.
“Go ahead and attack those who try to attack these fundamental freedoms,” she said.
Harris is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Grand Bourg in Indianapolis Last week, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Dallas’ 71st Bourrée Earlier this month.
