Senator JD Vance defended former President Donald Trump‘s recent comments about Vice President Kamala Harris‘ race, referring to her as a “chameleon” who changes her identity based on her audience. Vance, who is the father of three biracial children, dismissed concerns raised by a CNN reporter during his visit to the US southern border.
At a press conference in Cochise County, Arizona, where Vance criticized Harris’ record as the border czar, the reporter questioned whether Trump’s remarks gave him pause.Trump had implied that Harris only recently began identifying as Black after years of emphasizing her Indian heritage.
Vance argued that Trump’s comments were aimed at highlighting what he perceives as Harris’ shifting identity based on political convenience. “They don’t give me pause at all,” Vance replied, “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.”
At a press conference in Cochise County, Arizona, where Vance criticized Harris’ record as the border czar, the reporter questioned whether Trump’s remarks gave him pause.Trump had implied that Harris only recently began identifying as Black after years of emphasizing her Indian heritage.
Vance argued that Trump’s comments were aimed at highlighting what he perceives as Harris’ shifting identity based on political convenience. “They don’t give me pause at all,” Vance replied, “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.”
Vance’s remarks come amid growing scrutiny of Harris, particularly after she appeared to adopt a Southern accent during a recent speech in Atlanta. Critics, including Vance, have seized on this as evidence of Harris’ inconsistency, with Vance accusing her of being “everything to everybody.”
The controversy has added fuel to the ongoing debate over Harris’ identity and political authenticity as she campaigns for re-election alongside President Joe Biden.