Former US President Donald Trump attended a conference with Black journalists in Chicago on Wednesday where he falsely claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris had previously identified only as Indian before "turning Black."

Trump has been seeking to improve his support among Black voters, however, he appeared combative at the event, calling the interviewers "rude" and "nasty," especially after they called him out for his falsehoods.

Trump confused over Harris's race

"I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?" Trump said at the annual convention of National Association of Black Journalists conference (NABJ).

In reality, Harris — the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother — has always embraced her heritage.

She attended Howard University, a prestigious historically Black university, and was also a member of the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

As a US senator, Harris was part of the Congressional Black Caucus, where she supported legislation aimed at strengthening voting rights and reforming policing.

Audience groans at Trump's responses

The contentious interview started with Trump calling ABC News reporter Rachel Scott's question on his previous racist comments "horrible," "hostile" and a "disgrace" and describing ABC as a "fake" network.

Scott was one of three Black women moderators during the event.

Trump called himself "the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln," on being asked why Black voters should support him. His answer drew groans from the audience.

The former president has often claimed that illegal immigrants would take away "Black jobs." On being asked by Scott to define a "Black job," Trump fired back, "A Black job is anybody with a job." Again the audience groaned.

Although the event was scheduled for an hour, the Trump campaign pulled the plug after 35 minutes saying he was out of time, according to the moderators.

His appearance at the event was part of his campaign's effort to appeal to Black voters and comes as he faces scrutiny over his record on race issues. Trump's racial remarks at the event in Chicago could hurt his candidacy in critical states with a large Black population, such as Georgia.   

Harris winning ground

Since launching her White House campaign earlier this month, Vice President Harris has been at the receiving end of sexist and racist attacks online.

Meanwhile, Trump's attacks against Harris — who he has called "Lyin' Kamala," "Laughin' Kamala" and "Crazy Kamala" — have become increasingly vicious as she has erased Trump's lead in multiple key battleground states, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll, since becoming the likely Democratic nominee.

Earlier this week, Trump suggested in a Fox News interview that other world leaders are "going to walk all over her."

'Americans deserve better'

While Trump was making his claims, the US Vice President was in Houston addressing a gathering of Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically Black sorority.

She responded to Trump's comments saying, "It was the same old show. The divisiveness and the disrespect." 

"The American people deserve better," Harris said.

"We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us, they are an essential source of our strength."

White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, who is of Haitian heritage, called Trump's remarks "repulsive" during a press conference on Wednesday. 

"It's insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify," Jean-Pierre said. 

ss/ab (AP, AFP, Reuters)