During the presidential debate, Donald Trump reiterated his questioning of Kamala Harris’ race, refusing to acknowledge his past comments about her identity. Trump claimed he doesn’t care what race Harris is and said he read conflicting reports about her heritage. He previously stated that Harris “turned Black” for political gain, despite her being of Indian and Jamaican descent.
Harris responded by pointing out Trump’s divisive history with race, including past discriminatory actions against Black people. She also highlighted Trump’s call for the death penalty for the wrongly accused “Central Park Five.” Trump defended his actions, claiming the teenagers had admitted guilt and arguing that many people agreed with him at the time.
The “Central Park Five” case involved four Black teenagers and a Latino teen who were wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in 1989. DNA evidence later linked the crime to a serial rapist, resulting in the teenagers’ convictions being overturned in 2002. Despite this evidence, Trump has never apologized for his stance on the case and continues to stand by his comments.
During the recent Democratic National Convention, one of the exonerated men, Yusef Salaam, condemned Trump for calling for the death penalty, stating that Trump wanted them “unalived.” Salaam criticized Trump for still standing by the guilty verdict despite the DNA evidence that proved their innocence.
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