Senator mimics Trump's Kamala Harris race falsehood

Senator Babet did not respond to a request for evidence to support his claim (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

What was claimed

Kamala Harris only recently started identifying as Black.

Our verdict

False. Ms Harris has embraced her Black (as well as Indian) identity for decades.

AAP FACTCHECK – United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet claims that US Vice President Kamala Harris has only recently identified as Black in a bid to gain a political advantage.

This is false. Ms Harris has consistently identified and celebrated her Black racial identity over several decades – long before she entered politics.

“Kamala Harris has spent her whole life telling people she was Indian,” Senator Babet claims in a post on X

“Now when it’s politically convenient she changes her tune and according to her and the corrupt mainstream media she’s all of a sudden black.

“She’s a race hustler, a liar, a moron, a communist and a danger to the free world as she’s for sale and she’s cheap.”

 Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Detroit
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has Black and Indian heritage.

AAP FactCheck contacted Senator Babet for evidence to support his claim but did not receive a response.

Ms Harris’s parents were both immigrants to the United States who met at university.

Her father, Donald J Harris, was born in Jamaica and her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India.

Throughout her life and political career, Ms Harris has embraced both sides of her racial heritage.

Ms Harris has publicly identified as Black for decades, including attending a historically Black university and being a member of Black student groups while at college in the 1980s.

In 1986, she graduated from Howard University, a predominantly Black university in Washington DC.

While studying at Howard, Ms Harris was also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, a prominent student organisation known as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African American women”.

After graduating, Ms Harris studied at the University of California Law School in San Francisco.

A story from the March 3, 1989 edition of the law school's newspaper (page 2) stated Ms Harris was a member of the Black Law Students Association. 

In 2004, Ms Harris became the first female district attorney in San Francisco.

In her archived 2005 profile on the City and County of San Francisco website, she is described as "the first African American woman in California to hold the office".

Donald Trump at the NABJ Convention.
Donald Trump made a similar claim at a US convention for black journalists.

In 2011 she became attorney general of California. Her archived official State of California bio describes her as "the first woman, and the first African American and South Asian American, to hold the office..."

In a speech shortly after being elected to the US Senate in 2016, Ms Harris referenced both her Indian heritage through her maternal grandmother (four minutes 33 seconds) and being the second Black woman elected to the senate (5:21).

Once a senator, she also became a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

In a 2019 profile piece in the Washington Post, Ms Harris spoke of growing up embracing her Indian culture but living a proudly African American life.

Ms Harris’s official federal vice president biography also describes her as identifying with both sides of her cultural background.

Senator Babet’s assertion echoes comments made by former president Donald Trump at the convention for the National Association of Black Journalists in July.

CNN, Reuters and PolitiFact debunked the original false claim made by Trump.

The Verdict

False – The claim is inaccurate.

AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store