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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Pawan Dhingra, Associate Provost and Professor of American Studies, Amherst College

Kamala Harris has spoken of her racial backgrounds − but a shared identity isn’t enough to attract supporters

Vice President Kamala Harris greets guests during a reception for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the White House in May 2022. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In one of the most memorable moments of the current presidential campaign, Donald Trump in July 2024 contended that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris recently stopped identifying as Indian and “happened to turn Black.”

With these false remarks, Trump implied that Harris emphasized one part of her background to appeal to voters and then changed that to appeal to a different group of voters.

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