Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic election nominee, hit back at former President Donald Trump after the latter mocked her heritage Wednesday. Harris said that the "American people deserve better" and need a "leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts."
Trump claimed earlier in the day that Harris was "always of Indian heritage" and then "happened to turn Black" during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention. "And now she wants to be known as Black. So I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?" the former president said about Harris.
Harris, who has both Indian and African American heritage, is a graduate of Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
She condemned Trump's comments as divisive and disrespectful, while calling for truthfulness and unity in leadership, according to The Hill. "It was the same old show. The divisiveness and the disrespect," she said.
"And let me just say, the American people deserve better," she said, adding, "The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us; they are an essential source of our strength."
Harris delivered her remarks at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.'s 60th Biennial Boule in Houston, celebrating the achievements of another member of the Divine Nine, a collective of Black fraternities and sororities.
During her speech, the vice president called on the audience to energize, organize, and mobilize, as she spoke about the impact of collective action. "Because when we organize, mountains move. When we mobilize, nations change. And when we vote, we make history," she told the crowd.
Harris also criticized the former president's alignment with Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's framework for the next GOP presidency, which Trump's campaign has attempted to distance itself from.
She added that she is committed to protecting fundamental freedoms, including the right to love freely, access to comprehensive historical education, and women's reproductive rights. "As we work to move our nation forward, let us be clear, there are those who are trying to move us backward," she said.
Harris added that a pillar of her campaign is freedom. She promised "to defend the freedom to love who you love, the freedom to learn America's full history, and the freedom for women to make decisions about their own bodies, among other freedoms."
"Bring it on, those who would dare to attack those fundamental freedoms," she said.
In addition to her speech in Houston, Harris recently gave keynote addresses at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.'s Grand Boulé in Indianapolis and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.'s 71st Boulé in Dallas, reinforcing her strong ties to the Black community and her commitment to advancing their causes.
