Donald Trump stokes false claims over Kamala Harris' eligibility for US office

US President Donald Trump intensified his attack on Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris with false claims over her eligibility for the office because of her origin. During a White House news conference, Trump referred to an opinion article in Newsweek written by conservative law professor John Eastman to stoke the baseless claims that he long promoted from his predecessor Barack Obama.

"I heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements," said Trump, calling Eastman “very highly qualified, very talented lawyer”. 

Eastman, who lost to Harris in the Republican primary to be California's attorney general in 2010, said that there are some questions about the eligibility for the position. Harris was born in the United States to a mother from India and a father from Jamaica and is constitutionally eligible to be Vice President and President. The theory was also circulated on social media but Trump shied away from making any claims, saying he has “no idea if that’s right”.

“I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for Vice President,” he added.

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'I have more Indians'

The US President later lashed out at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for choosing Harris as his running mate for the elections scheduled for November. Speaking to members of the City of New York Police Benevolent Association, Trump said that Biden would pass legislation to destroy every single police department in the US but “probably Kamala (Harris) is a step worse”.

“She is of Indian heritage. I have more Indians than she has," said Trump.

Trump has also targeted the Indian-origin Democrat over her "weak" performance in Democratic primaries last year, calling her an opponent “everyone dreams of”. Shortly after Biden’s announced Harris’s name as his running mate, Trump said that he was surprised by the pick as she was "nasty" and "disrespectful" to Biden during the primary. 

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