共和党参议员ABC新闻周四在被问及前总统时局促不安唐纳德·特朗普错误地质疑副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯的种族身份在全国黑人记者协会大会上接受采访时一天前——前总统加倍了错误的攻击。
在一个周四早上的社交媒体帖子前总统唐纳德·特朗普分享了副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯的全家福，并写道:“非常感谢你的热情、友谊和对印度传统的热爱。”
他的社交媒体帖子重申了他的错误说法，即哈里斯只是强调了她的亚裔美国人血统——这是他周三在NABJ大会上接受采访时提到的。
在采访中，他错误地质疑了哈里斯的种族。哈里斯的父亲是牙买加人，母亲是印度人。
“我不知道她是黑人，直到几年前她碰巧变成了黑人，现在，她想被称为黑人。所以，我不知道，她是印度人还是黑人?”特朗普在接受NABJ采访时说。
他接着说，“她一直是印度人，然后突然她转了一个弯，她去了——她变成了一个黑人。”
特朗普在参议院的盟友试图减少对前总统在NABJ的评论的关注——当他对哈里斯的种族提出质疑时——而是转向他们认为他在第一个任期内的政策成就。
前总统的亲密盟友、共和党参议员林赛·格雷厄姆(Lindsey Graham)表示，特朗普专注于政策会更好。
当被问及特朗普质疑哈里斯的种族是否合适时，格雷厄姆回答说:“不，我认为不合适。”
“我认识副总统已经有一段时间了，她总是自豪地拥抱她的传统，这是她应该做的，”格雷厄姆说。“我对副总统哈里斯的问题是她所做的政策选择。我认为她过着重要的生活，但在政策上，这个国家着火了——世界着火了，而这个国家正在衰落。我认为我们需要新的领导，所以这将是我的方法。”
当被问及特朗普的评论是否有助于推动选民关注政策时，格雷厄姆回避了，他说:“我认为重新掌权的方法是将(特朗普的)总统任期与今天发生的事情进行比较，提出解决问题的方法——这是重新掌权的方法。”
共和党全国委员会参议员托姆·蒂利斯(Thom Tillis)反复被问及特朗普的评论是否恰当，他承认这些评论可能会分散注意力。
“我认为这偏离了我想要关注的讨论，但很可能我们对什么会打动选民有不同的看法，”蒂利斯说。“我个人认为这是经济上的失败、边境上的失败和国家安全上的失败。”
当麦康奈尔今年秋天卸任时，得克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁将竞选领导参议院共和党会议，他一再回避问题。
“对此我真的没什么可说的。我确实认为他出现了而她没有出现是有关系的，我很欣赏他甚至愿意出现在像那样的敌对环境面前的事实，”Cornyn说。
当被问及特朗普对哈里斯是混血儿的明显困惑时，科尔宁表示，“我认为我们都是某些东西的组合，对吗?”
知情人士告诉ABC新闻，众议院共和党领导人私下告诉他们的会议将重点放在对哈里斯的记录的攻击上。
此前，当记者问及哈里斯与一些人(如众议员蒂姆·伯切特和众议员马乔里·泰勒·格林)争夺白宫时，一些众议院共和党人提到了哈里斯的种族和性别，称她为“DEI副总统”或“DEI雇员”
另外，消息人士还告诉美国广播公司新闻，议长迈克·约翰逊也私下告诉议员们，要把重点放在与哈里斯的记录对比特朗普的“实力”上。约翰逊私下和公开坚称这与种族无关。
消息人士告诉ABC新闻，一名成员说，“指出她不是白人，不是一个获胜的竞选信息。”
几位民主党参议员谴责特朗普关于哈里斯种族的言论。
马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦。，称特朗普的言论“令人作呕”。
她说，她钦佩哈里斯回应这些评论的方式，哈里斯在周三晚上称之为“老一套的节目”，带有“分裂和不尊重”
沃伦说:“我真的很钦佩副总统哈里斯所说的话，她说她准备翻过这一页，与一位完全专注于如何让政府更好地为辛勤工作的家庭服务的新领导人重新开始。”。
D-Ga参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克。，称特朗普的言论是“分散注意力”。
“这是转移注意力。这就是这位前总统的专业——分散注意力和分裂的政治。但我认为它站不住脚。因为卡玛拉·哈里斯关注的是她想在这个国家代表的人民，”沃诺克说。
Trump doubles down on false racial attacks on Harris, Republican senators squirm when confronted about it
Republican senators ABC News spoke with Thursday squirmed when asked about former PresidentDonald Trumpfalsely questioning Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identityduring his interview at the National Association of Black Journalists conventiona day earlier -- as the former president doubled down on the false attack.
In asocial media post Thursday morning, former President Donald Trump shared a family portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris and wrote, "Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated."
His social media post reiterated his false claim that Harris only emphasized her Asian-American heritage -- something he mentioned during his interview at the NABJ convention on Wednesday.
During the interview, he falsely questioned Harris' race. Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother.
"I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now, she wants to be known as Black. So, I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?" Trump said during the NABJ interview.
He went on to say that "she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went -- she became a Black person."
Trump allies in the Senate tried to focus less on the former president's comments at NABJ -- when he called Harris' race into question -- and instead pivoted to what they believe are his policy accomplishments in his first term.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of the former president's, said Trump would be better served focusing on policy.
Asked if it was appropriate for Trump to question Harris' race, Graham replied: "No, I don't think so."
"I've known the vice president for a while, she has always embraced her heritage proudly as she should," Graham said. "My problem with Vice President Harris is the policy choices she's made. I think she's live a consequential life, but on policy the country is on fire -- the world is on fire and the country is in decline. And I think we need new leadership so so that will be my approach."
When pushed on whether Trump's comments were productive in pushing voters toward focusing on policy, Graham dodged, saying "I think the way back into power is to compare [Trump's] presidency with what's going on today, offer solutions to problems -- that's the way back into power."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pushed repeatedly on whether Trump's comments were appropriate, conceded that they were likely a distraction.
"I think it shifts away from the discussion I want to focus on, but it may very well be that we have a difference of opinions about what is going to move the voters," Tillis said. "I for one think its the failure on the economy the failure on the border and the failure on national security."
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is running to lead the Senate Republican Conference when McConnell steps down this fall, sidestepped questions repeatedly.
"I really don't have anything to say about that. I did think it was relevant that he showed up and she did not and I appreciate the fact he is willing to even appear in front of hostile environments like that one," Cornyn said.
Asked about Trump's apparent confusion about Harris being biracial, Cornyn suggested that "I think we are all a combination of something right?"
House Republican leaders have privately told their conference to focus their attacks against Harris on her record, sources familiar with the conversation told ABC News.
The guidance came after a number of House Republicans made references to Harris' race and gender when asked by reporters about her bid for the White House with some -- such as Rep. Tim Burchett and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene -- calling her a "DEI Vice President" or "DEI hire."
Separately, sources also told ABC News, Speaker Mike Johnson also privately told members to focus on drawing a contrast with Harris' record against the "strength" of Trump. Johnson has privately and publicly insisted this has nothing to do with race.
Sources told ABC News that one member said, "pointing out she's not a white man, is not a winning campaign message."
Several Democratic senators condemned Trump's comments about Harris' race.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Trump's comments were "disgusting."
She said she admires the way Harris responded to the comments, which Harris on Wednesday night called "the same old show" with "divisiveness and disrespect."
"I really admire what VP Harris said when she said she is ready to turn the page on that and start again with [a] new leader who is completely focused on how we make this government work better for hard-working families," Warren said.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., called Trump's comments a "distraction."
Sen. Raphael Warnock arrives to the Capitol following a private meeting between Senate Democrats a...Show more
Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images
"This is a distraction. And that's what the former president majors in – the politics of distraction and division. But I don't think it will stand. Because Kamala Harris is focused on the people that she wants to represent in this country," Warnock said.
