Did Kamala Harris call Joe Biden racist as Trump campaign claims?
In a statement released following Kamala Harris' appoitment as Joe Biden's VP, the Trump campaign claimed that Harris had called Biden a racist.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden named Kamala Harris as his running mate on Wednesday, as the California senator becomes the first black woman and first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for vice president by a major party.
Announcing his choice on Twitter, Biden hailed Harris as “a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants.”
Many Democrats were delighted with the appointment, including former president, Barack Obama, who said that Harris “was more than prepared for the job”.
“She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing,” tweeted Obama, while former Democratic primary candidate, Bernie Sanders, also congratulated Harris, saying, “She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history.”
Trumps response to Harris nomination
Following the announcement, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to post videos attacking the policies of both Biden and Harris, both of whom Trump has branded as members of the “radical left”.
One of the videos tweeted by president claimed that Biden “has a racism problem”, while his campaign also released a statement, in which it claimed, among other things, that Harris had previously called Biden a racist.
Harris did not call Biden racist
The statement reportedly refers to an exchange between the pair during a debate last summer when the two were competing candidates for the Democrat’s presidential ticket. But in that exchange, Harris said to Biden, “I do not believe you are a racist.”
Discussing the Trump campaign statement with Fox News White House Correspondent John Roberts, Fox anchor Neil Cavuto was quick to address the false claim.
“By the way, the real quick clarification I just wanna get,” Cavuto said, “the president seems to be saying that Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a racist. She never did.”
The attacks on Biden and Harris from the Trump campaign will continue to come thick and fast in the run up to the November election, with Trump most recently expressing that he is happy to face such a “weak" candidate in Harris.
“Kamala Harris started strong in the Democrat Primaries, and finished weak, ultimately fleeing the race with almost zero support. That’s the kind of opponent everyone dreams of!” tweeted the president.
But many believe that Harris will strengthen Biden’s already-robust campaign (if polls are to be believed), with Wall Street executives confident the pair has what it takes to defeat Trump, according to a report by CNBC.