‘Really A Phony Controversy’: Byron Donalds Spars With George Stephanopoulos Over Kamala Harris’s Racial Identity

Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds sparred with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday over Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity.

Former President Donald Trump argued last week at the National Association Of Black Journalists (NABJ) 2024 Conference in Chicago, Illinois, that he wasn’t aware Harris was black till a few years ago due to her Indian heritage. Donalds pushed back on a question from Stephanopoulos regarding the statement made by Trump, arguing how Harris’ race has been “played up” over the years.

“Well, first, George, in Chicago he was responding to a question from, I believe, Rachel Scott. This is really a phony controversy. I don’t really care, and most people don’t,” Donalds said. “But if we’re going to be accurate, when Kamala Harris went into the United States Senate, it was AP [News] that said she was the first Indian American United States senator. It was actually played up a lot when she came into the senate, now she’s running nationally, obviously the campaign has shifted.”

“They’re talking much more about her father’s heritage and her black identity. It doesn’t really matter, the president mentioned it. What he also talks about far more frequently is the fact that Kamala Harris is the person who created this massive inflation, which is destroying black families, white families, Hispanic families,” Donalds continued as he called out Harris’ failures on the border and other areas.