US Vice President Kamala Harris has said comments by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump questioning whether she is black are “the same old show” from the former US president.
Mr Trump made the remarks during a contentious appearance at a gathering of the National Association of Black Journalists.
He asked “is she Indian or is she black?” of his opponent in the presidential race, drawing a smattering of jeers from an audience of about 1,000 people.
“She was Indian all the way, and all of a sudden she made a turn and became a black person,” he said.
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Ms Harris, whose mother was Indian and whose father is black, is the first black and first Asian American US vice president.
“What he just said is repulsive,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in response to Trump’s remarks. “It’s insulting.”
Far right and conservative accounts on social media have spread misinformation questioning Ms Harris’ racial identity.
Speaking at an event in Texas, Ms Harris said the American people “deserve better” than Mr Trump, who has already served one term as president of the United States.
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“We all here remember what those four years [of Mr Trump’s presidency] were like, and today we were given yet another reminder.
“It was the same old show of divisiveness and disrespect,” she said.
Ms Harris added that the United States deserves a president who does not “respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts” and one “who understands that our differences do not divide us”.
Since launching her White House campaign earlier this month, Ms Harris has faced a barrage of sexist and racist attacks online, while Republican Party leaders have urged politicians to refrain from personal attacks and focus on her policy positions.