Sen. JD Vance fired back at a CNN reporter. The reporter asked if Trump's comments about Kamala Harris' race concerned him as a "father of three biracial children."
Vance was at the U.S. southern border on Thursday. He criticized Harris' record as border czar in Cochise County, Arizona. CNN correspondent Steve Contorno asked about Trump's recent comment. Trump said Harris "became a Black person" after identifying as Indian for years.
"He [Trump] said that Vice President Harris is ‘all of a sudden Black.' As a father of three biracial children, do those comments give you pause at all?" Contorno asked. This clip was shared on X.
Vance is married to Usha Vance, an attorney and daughter of Indian immigrants. They share three biracial children.
"They don't give me pause at all," Vance responded. "All he said is that Kamala Harris is a chameleon. She was raised in Canada, and she puts on a fake southern accent. She pretends to be different depending on the audience."
"I think it's totally reasonable for the [former] president to call that out," Vance added. "She's running as a tough on crime prosecutor but supports open border policies. She says she wants to support the police but wanted to defund them three years ago. It's reasonable to call out that she pretends to be different depending on the audience."
Trump's comment came after ABC News' Rachel Scott asked if he agreed with GOP lawmakers calling Harris a "DEI hire." Trump said, "I've known her indirectly for a long time... and she was always of Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until she happened to turn Black. Now she wants to be known as Black. So, is she Indian or Black?"
Scott then told Trump Harris has always identified as Black. She mentioned Harris went to a "historically Black college."
"I respect either one," Trump replied. "But she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way. Then she made a turn and became a Black person. Somebody should look into that."
Harris faced criticism on social media for using a Southern accent in Atlanta, as Vance mentioned.
"You all helped us win in 2020, and we're gonna do it again in 2024," Harris told Atlanta rally-goers with a new accent.
Critics online accused her of pandering to her audience.