Former President Donald Trump’s controversial appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention on Wednesday proved to be as problematic as feared it would be. Among the various moments of contentious exchanges and falsehoods, Trump has drawn outrage for a new attack launched against Vice President Kamala Harris and her racial identity.

The moment in question came during Trump’s panel discussion with three Black female journalists, during which he was asked if he agreed with other Republicans’ attacks that Harris was a “DEI hire” who had been chosen because she is a Black woman. Trump, after expressing apparent confusion over the term DEI, launched into an accusation that Harris had not acknowledged her Black identity until recently.

“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump falsely claimed. He went on, “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 claimed, “I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went — she became a Black person.”

He then told the room of Black journalists, “I think somebody should look into that too.”

Trump’s comments drew outrage from political pundits across social media and Democrats.

Author Bakari Sellers appeared on CNN, where he commented that “every person who votes for Donald Trump is not a racist. But Donald Trump is a racist.”

“A message to racist Republicans,” X user Alex Cole tweeted. “You can be of Indian decent and also black. The word is called biracial.”

The Harris campaign quickly issued a statement: “The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life,” repeating Harris’ earlier challenge for Trump to debate her in September.

Racism and conspiracy theories

Despite the immense backlash Trump has received, he and his supporters have doubled down on insults and racist conspiracies against Harris.

Trump lawyer Alina Habba, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Iraq, threw shade at Harris at a Trump campaign rally, declaring, “Unlike you, Kamala, I know who my roots are; I know where I come from, and I don’t play around with the Constitution.”

Fox News host Jesse Watters said “she’s not African American technically.”

Several Trump supporters, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, posted screenshots of AP articles covering Harris’ election as the first Indian American U.S. Senator and first Black vice president, trying to prove Trump’s claim of switching identity.

Others posted as ‘proof’ a segment of Harris and actress Mindy Kaling talking about their Indian heritage – despite the fact that Kaling contradicts the narrative by telling Harris in the clip that “not everybody knows you’re Indian.”

In a clear echo of the racist conspiracy theories against former President Barack Obama, some Trump supporters even started sharing Harris’ birth certificate to prove somehow she is not Black, despite the certificate listing her father’s Jamaican heritage.

Trump has posted follow-up racist attacks on Truth Social.

Professor Uju Anya tweeted that people not engage Trump supporters in these conversations about biracial identity. “They know Kamala Harris is Black,” she tweeted. “The reason they’re mounting this type of attack on her is **because** she’s Black.”

As the Trump campaign struggles to deal with Harris’ surging support and others’ enthusiasm for her, it appears he and his surrogates have decided to double down on racist attacks. So far, these attacks provide even more fuel for the Harris campaign to contrast itself with the racism and extremism of its opponents, the picture that Harris wants to paint heading into the election.

Donald trumpVice President Kamala Harris