Is Harris Pandering to Black Audiences? Trump Certainly Thinks So.

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 Following the news of Biden dropping out, Donald Trump has been trying to maintain relevancy in comparison to Harris's campaign which is sweeping social media with trends about her and fan edits being made to push her support further. Trump broke through the news cycle a few weeks ago making claims that Harris is trying to pander towards black voters. 

At the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump made the claim that Harris is only black when she wants to be. This kind of false claim can be incredibly demeaning and disrespectful. While Harris could be considered racially ambiguous, it's odd to suggest what her own identity is, and Trump making claims like this is not going to help align black voters with him but instead against him. 

According to an article by the San Francisco Chronicle, Trump stated how he had no clue she was black until a few years ago when she "happened to be Black and now she wants to be known as Black." It is unfortunate Trump is going below the belt by making claims of Harris's identity without knowing her history. His quote suggest that his ignorance on her race is equivalent to her genuinely not being black if she does not outright appear as such. 

From the same article, Trump later goes on to ask the rhetorical question if she is "Indian or is she Black?" This statement not only comes of ignorance to the complexities and nuance that mixed race individuals have, but it also upset and caused many journalists to fact check Trump to confirm Harris's heritage as multiracial. 

According to a Reuters article, Trump makes the claim that Kamala does not respect both her Indian and Black heritage after allegedly was Indian all the way and made the abrupt switch to becoming a Black person. He also notes that he respects both cultures. The White House biography indeed mentions her to be the first Black American and first South Asian American to be elected Vice President. 

While Harris is notable in being groundbreaking for women, Black Americans, and South Asian Americans, Trump accusing her of using these identities to pander towards them is confusing. Harris has acknowledged and takes pride in her heritage, and it is no surprise she would try to align herself with them during her campaign. 

It appears Trump is more startled by her rising in the polls and is trying to stir the pot and get more voters back on his side with his claims. This strategy of trying to get Black Americans to side with him is a difficult one to win because many Black Americans would prefer a leader who knows their differences and complexities. Black Americans are used to politicians who pander to them for their votes, and if they think Harris is and still vote for her, it must have worked in her favor to pander instead of ignore that side of her ethnicity. 

References

Logan, E (2024) Trump is trying to shave off Black votes by saying Harris is pandering. It won't work. San Francisco Chronicle https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/harris-trump-black-pandering-19615781.php 

Reuters Fact Check (2024) Fact Check: Kamala Harris has long identified as Black, contrary to Trump claim. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-has-long-identified-black-contrary-trump-claim-2024-08-01/ 

Whitehouse.gov https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/vice-president-harris/ 

Comments

  1. Sean OBrienSeptember 16, 2024 at 6:43 AM

    As you said it is incredibly disrespectful and unprofessional for Trump to make these claims. The thing that doesn't make any sense with his claims is him saying "pandering" to a certain demographic like it is not what politicians need to do. To get voters you need to be able to make a connection with them and be able to provide policy that benefits them. All politicians talk about different demographics of people and try to play to that specif group. Trump also is no stranger to "pandering" to an audience so it is pretty hypocritical of him to say. It will be interesting to see in further debates if Trump continues to make these comments and how Harris will respond. I think following both of their campaigns and watching for different vernacular being used depending on where geographically the speeches take place as well as what the demographic of the audience is could be a good case study to see how politicians act when they are trying to play to specific groups of voters.

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