Trump Questions Harris’s Racial Identity, Saying She Only ‘Became Black’ Recently

Former President Donald J. Trump questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’s identity as a Black woman on Wednesday in front of an audience of Black journalists, suggesting his opponent for the presidency had adopted her racial profile as a political “turn.”

“She was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn, and she went, she became a Black person,” he said of Ms. Harris, whose mother is Indian American and whose father is Black.

The former president was addressing a gathering of the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago, where Mr. Trump repeated falsehoods about immigration, sparred with reporters over the merits of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and told the group that he was “the best president for the Black population” since Abraham Lincoln.

The event proved to be one of the most unusual appearances of the presidential campaign so far. Mr. Trump has favored friendly appearances with conservative television, radio and podcast hosts, but he had ample warning that the panel awaiting him in Chicago would be tough. Facing three Black women, he insulted the first Black woman on the top of a major-party ticket and seemed perfectly comfortable disparaging his hosts, even as he tried to appeal to Black voters as their best choice for safeguarding Black well-being.

One of his central messages sought to pit Black voters against immigrant communities, as he repeatedly warned that Black workers would lose their jobs to undocumented immigrants unless he is elected in November.

But in the combative appearance, his comments on Ms. Harris stood out. The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, called them “repulsive” and “insulting,” adding that “no one has any right to tell someone who