Source: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE / Getty
Social media users had a field day mocking Donald Trump after his slur against Kamala Harris’ racial identity during an NABJ panel.
On Wednesday (July 31), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took part in a contentious interview at the National Association for Black Journalists convention. Trump disparaged Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris by questioning her racial identity. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black,” he said.
BREAKING: Trump falsely questions whether VP Harris is Black. pic.twitter.com/pJCmJK6R0W
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 31, 2024
The comment stunned those present and sparked a major backlash among those online who watched the live stream of the event, which ended a half-hour earlier than expected due to Trump’s aggressive behavior toward ABC News’ Rachel Scott, one of the moderators of the interview along with Fox News’s Harris Faulkner and Semafor’s Kadia Goba. But comedian and former Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. seized the opportunity to mock Donald Trump in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We now know Kamala’s brave story. When did the rest of you “turn” black? How old were you? Where were you when the blackness finally took over your body? Share your stories. This is a safe space,” Wood wrote, using the hashtag #WhenITurnedBlack.
We now know Kamala’s brave story. When did the rest of you “turn” black? How old were you? Where were you when the blackness finally took over your body? Share your stories. This is a safe space. #WhenITurnedBlack pic.twitter.com/URBx3fqcbh
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) July 31, 2024
Other users on the platform ran to roast Trump for his racism. One X user, IamRanaTerrell, wrote: “I turned Black when I opened a cookie tin and saw barrettes, rollers, and Bobby pins.” Another user, n16thekid, wrote: “I transferred to a predominantly white middle school, and one day my less-educated caucasian compatriots asked me to, “Stop speaking hood,” because they didn’t know words like “convection” (which were on the worksheet) My melanin truly ascended that day!”
The fallout from Trump’s comments about the vice president hasn’t stopped him and other Republicans from attacking her about her racial identity. She acknowledged them while speaking at the Sigma Gamma Rho’s 60th International Biennial Boulé in Houston, Texas later that day. “This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists.” Harris said, pausing as the crowd booed before continuing: “And it was the same old show: the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth.”
Check out some of the best responses to the #WhenITurnedBlack trend below.
