Democrats say former President Donald Trump resurrected a racist trope as he attacked Vice President Kamala Harris as "lazy" for leaving the campaign trail Tuesday.
“I was going to hit her really hard on the trail today, but now I don’t have to, because she’s off,” Trump said of his opponent. “You know why? She’s lazy as hell, and she’s got that reputation.”
Rachel Noerdlinger, a Democratic communications strategist and senior adviser to Win With Black Women, told The Washington Post that Trump's remarks were coded language aimed at undermining Harris' qualifications for the Oval Office based on her race and gender.
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“Trump is reviving the old trope that Black women are unqualified for jobs historically held by White men,” she said. “Not having a campaign event while you’re in the middle of also governing isn’t ‘lazy’ — making almost 300 trips to the golf course as president is.”
The Trump campaign doubled down, however, with spokesman Steven Cheung telling the Post Trump wasn't referencing Harris' race or gender.
“She is exhausted and lazy compared to the robust schedule President Trump has maintained, and has nothing to do with her race or gender,” Cheung said.
The term "lazy” has a long history of being used to demean Black people, with such stereotypes dating to the height of the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, according to The National Museum of African American History and Culture.