JD Vance Responds to Questions on Trump’s Statements About Kamala Harris: ‘She’s a Chameleon’
In a recent interaction, Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, responded to a question about former President Trump’s comments on Kamala Harris’ racial identity. The query was raised by a press correspondent during Vance’s visit to the U.S. southern border. The senator’s response has stirred conversation across political factions, with Vance referring to Harris as a ‘chameleon.’
Contextual Query and Response
The query was prompted by Trump’s comment at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention where he claimed Harris “became a Black person” after years of identifying as Indian.
Addressing this, the reporter asked, “He [Trump] said that Vice President Harris is ‘all the sudden Black.’ As a father of three biracial children, do those comments give you pause at all?“
Vance’s response was clear and forthright: “They don’t give me pause at all,” he said. “Look, all he said is that Kamala Harris is a chameleon. She goes to Georgia two days ago, she was raised in Canada, she puts on a fake southern accent. She is everything to everybody and she pretends to be somebody different depending on which audience she is in front of.”
Focusing on Political Consistency
Vance’s comments emphasized what he views as inconsistency in Harris’ political positions. “I think it’s totally reasonable for the [former] president to call that out,” Vance continued. “And that’s all he did. Look, she’s running as a tough on crime prosecutor even though she implemented open border policies. She’s saying that she wants to support the police, yet she wanted to defund the police just three years ago. It’s totally reasonable to call out the fact that she pretends to be somebody different depending on the audience she’s talking to.”
Trump and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Trump’s comments followed a question from ABC News’ Rachel Scott, who queried the former president on Republican lawmakers’ views of Harris as a “DEI,” or diversity, equity and inclusion, hire. Trump’s response that Harris ‘became Black’ has ignited conversations about race and political representation.
Examining Accusations of Pandering
This media interaction comes amid recent criticism of Harris for apparently adopting a Southern accent during a speech in Atlanta. Critics have accused the presumptive Democratic nominee of pandering to different audience demographics, triggering debates about authenticity and approachability in politics.
