ABC’s George Stephanopoulos condemned Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., for claiming race doesn’t matter and then using a racial slur against Vice President Harris.
video:
George Stephanopoulos can’t tolerate Rep. Byron Donalds’ use of racial slurs against Kamala Harris, “Why, why do you persist in questioning her racial identity?”
Donald: Do you want me to talk?
Stephanopoulos: I want you to answer my question pic.twitter.com/VT3s1HkxCa—Sarah Rhys-Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 4, 2024
ABC’s transcript of this week:
STEPHANOPULOS: And you — you repeated the slander again. If it doesn’t matter, why are you still questioning her identity? She has always been identified as a black woman. She is of mixed race. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian. She was always considered to be both. Why are you so skeptical?
Donald: Well, George, first of all, this is actually the conversation on social media right now. There are a lot of people trying to figure this out. But again, this is a minor issue, not the main one. The main issue is (inaudible) – Kamala Harris is the Vice President of the United States.
STEPHANOPOULOS: One moment, sir. So, you just did it – you just did it again.
Donald: George (unintelligible) for (unintelligible) –
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why — why do you — why do you insist on questioning her racial identity?
Donald: Do you want to talk or do you want me to talk?
STEPHANOPULOS: I – I want you to answer my question.
Donald: Well, don’t you yell at George, George, now that you’ve yelled at me, let me answer it.
He was on stage in Atlanta yesterday talking about it for, what, two minutes? He spent over 35, 40 minutes going over her record and talking about what a radical senator she was. She is the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate. This is a fact. He spoke of her work as Vice President of the United States. I would add that this job is a failure for the American people. I know you guys like to joke around with him or talk about this seriously for about a minute or so. You didn’t cover Kamala Harris’ string of failures. This is what you didn’t cover, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So the question is, is it okay to question someone’s racial identity for a few minutes?
Donald: George, I’m going to tell you again, he asked the question. The Associated Press was the one who wrote the headlines when she first entered the U.S. Senate. No mention of her being black. Talk about her being the first Indian-American senator. The Associated Press made this point.
I mean, George, we could have this whole section having this conversation, but none of it matters to the American people. What matters to the American people is, will we continue to adopt the policies of the Biden-Harris administration that are destructive to the American people? Or will we adopt the Trump administration’s policies of putting America first, low inflation, prospering Americans no matter your race, no matter your color, no matter your creed, and a foreign policy that keeps America safe?
These are the facts that really matter because this issue will come and go and American lives will continue to matter more than anything else.
STEPHANOPOULOS: If that’s okay, I don’t understand why you keep repeating it, why the president keeps repeating it, why the person who introduced the president yesterday keeps repeating it.
Republicans are using some of the same tactics they used against Barack Obama in 2008 and in 2012 against Kamala Harris in 2024.
Times have changed, and hosts like George Stephanopoulos don’t turn a blind eye to what Republicans are doing.
Donalds clearly wanted to discredit Harris, and his attack was deliberate. The Trump campaign is using Donald to try to slow Harris’ rise among black voters.
Republicans should be working to win elections on issues, not slander, and George Stephanopoulos did the right thing by pointing out what The Donald did.