Trump's Comments About Kamala Harris' Race Are All Too Familiar For Biracial People

When clinical psychologist Jennifer Noble watched former President Donald Trump question Vice President Kamala Harris’ ethnic background earlier this week, she was “annoyed, to say the least.”

Noble, who specializes in helping parents of mixed-race children in her practice and is Black and Sri Lankan herself, was certain Trump was making a political calculation when he said Harris had only “promoted” her Indian heritage and just “happened to turn Black” for political convenience.

“It was a National Association of Black Journalists conference, so I think he thought he might endear himself more to the audience,” Noble said. “By saying she only ‘happened to turn Black’ recently, he was hoping the audience would also want to deny her the connection to Blackness.”

Harris has never denied her mixed racial heritage; the politician is the daughter of two immigrants, a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, as well as a graduate of Howard University, a historically Black college.

Trump’s assertion about Harris’ non-Blackness was met with what Reuters described as a “smattering of jeers” from the audience of roughly 1,000 people.

“Obviously he had not done his homework,” Noble told HuffPost. “However, he is an exaggerated example of what is going on for so many. I have seen social media comments, news media outlets and my own social circle refer to the VP as Black or Indian. Rarely is she referred to as both or and.”

By openly questioning the vice president’s ethnic background, Trump perpetuated a common expectation mixed-race people face: You can’t be both.

“I have absolutely been asked ― or told ― to pick a side,” Noble said. “I cannot tell you how many conversations I’ve had where after I disclose my Sri Lankan and African