WASHINGTON (AP) – At a campaign event on Tuesday in Doral, Florida, aimed at courting Latino voters, Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, took a swipe at his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “lazy” and invoking a racial stereotype often used against Black people. “Who the hell takes off when you have 14 days left?” Trump said, criticizing Harris for having no public campaign events that day. “She’s lazy. She’s lazy as hell.”
Harris, who had been traveling non-stop for over two weeks to key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, spent Tuesday in Washington, D.C., attending meetings and recording interviews with Telemundo and NBC, set to air that evening. Trump’s use of the word “lazy” has been widely condemned for its racial undertones, as the term has historically been employed to demean and dehumanize Black people.
A pattern of racial attacks
This is not the first time Trump has attacked Harris using derogatory language. He has previously called her “slow,” questioned her mental competence, and implied that she lacks intelligence, suggesting she has a “low IQ.” These remarks have consistently drawn backlash for perpetuating harmful stereotypes about Black and South Asian people. Harris, the first Black and South Asian woman to serve as vice president, has often been a target of such rhetoric throughout her political career.
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Trump’s latest remarks, but Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the vice president, pointed out that Trump had canceled a planned town hall event with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “Donald Trump continuing his recent trend of canceling campaign events… With just two weeks to go,” Sams wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Granted, this one seemed like a real peach, so don’t blame them for wanting to call it off!”
History of Racism in Trump’s public life
Trump’s comments about Harris are part of a broader pattern in his public life, where he has repeatedly invoked racial stereotypes and made racially charged statements. This behavior dates back decades, starting with the federal government suing him and his father in the 1970s for allegedly discriminating against Black apartment seekers.
In the 1980s, Trump purchased a full-page ad in the New York Times, calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty after five Black and Latino teenagers, later known as the Exonerated Five, were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. Though the men were exonerated in 2002 when another person confessed to the crime, Trump has never apologized for his inflammatory statements. Earlier this month, the Exonerated Five filed a lawsuit against Trump for continuing to make “false and defamatory statements” about them during a recent debate with Harris.
The historical weight of the ‘Lazy’ trope
By calling Harris “lazy,” Trump taps into a painful and long-standing racial stereotype that has been used to justify discrimination and dehumanization of Black people. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the stereotype of Black people being “lazy” was historically employed to rationalize their exploitation under slavery and segregation. These harmful stereotypes cast Black people as unsophisticated, backward, and lacking the work ethic necessary to succeed.
Despite these stereotypes, Black Americans have played a pivotal role in shaping the U.S. economy and culture, especially during the Great Migration, when millions of African Americans moved from the rural South to the industrial North in search of better opportunities. However, systemic racism has created enduring economic inequalities, with a persistent wealth gap between Black and white Americans.
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Trump doubles down on Criticism
Later on Tuesday, during a rally in North Carolina, Trump implied that Harris’s lack of public campaign events might signal some hidden knowledge about the race. “I think she knows some kind of result that we don’t know,” Trump said, suggesting Harris was trailing and hinting at a broader conspiracy. He also revived an earlier claim that Harris was chosen by Democrats purely for her race and gender to meet “politically correct” standards. “She’s running because they want to be politically correct,” Trump claimed.
Trump has increasingly framed his attacks on Harris in terms of her competence and capacity for leadership. During a rally in Pennsylvania, he said, “Crooked Joe Biden became mentally impaired. Sad. But lying Kamala Harris, honestly, I believe she was born that way. There’s something wrong with Kamala. And I just don’t know what it is, but there is definitely something missing. And you know what, everybody knows it.”
When asked about Trump’s remarks, campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt echoed the sentiment: “He’s right. Election Day is in two weeks, and Kamala Harris is taking the day off.”
A new chapter in racially charged campaign rhetoric
As the 2024 presidential race heats up, Trump’s use of racial dog whistles and overtly racist language continues to be a defining feature of his campaign strategy. His targeting of Harris, particularly through racialized attacks, underscores the deeply divided political and cultural landscape in the U.S. and reflects his long-standing use of race-baiting tactics to energize his base.
