Donald Trump's campaign defends his $8,000 in donations to Kamala Harris before he ran for office saying it shows he isn't 'racist!'
- Trump donated $6,000 to Harris's reelection campaign as California attorney general
- His daughter Ivanka also donated to her campaign
- The contributions could undercut Trump argument she is 'nasty' and 'radical left'
- Trump campaign advisor Katrina Pierson said Harris 'is a Black woman [and] he donated to her campaign so I hope we can squash this racism argument now'
- Flap over donations comes as Biden prepares to appear jointly with Harris Wednesday
- LISTEN: Trump expert Michael Wolff reveals ‘he's on the edge of freaking out!’ over what is shaping up to be one of the closest presidential elections in history. Listen to the full interview on hit Daily Mail podcast - 90 Seconds to Midnight
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President Donald Trump's presidential campaign defended $8,000 in campaign contributions he and his daughter made to Kamala Harris before he was in office – claiming it puts to rest the 'racism argument.'
Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson was asked to explain the contributions just hours after former Vice President Joe Biden announced Harris as his running mate.
Her comment late Tuesday came after the campaign immediately sought to brand Harris as a 'phony,' and Trump from the White House called her 'nasty,' as well as a 'liar' and 'mean,' while seeking to cast her as beholden to the radical left.
President Donald Trump's presidential campaign defended $8,000 in campaign contributions to Kamala Harris before Trump was in office when Harris was running for reelection as California attorney general
Pierson, who was on a Trump campaing press call Tuesday that fielded just two questions, defended the contribution in an appearance on PBS News Hour.
Trump 'donated to candidates across all aisles,' Pierson said. 'I will note that Kamala Harris is a Black woman [and] he donated to her campaign so I hope we can squash this racism argument now,' she said on the program.
Trump has said in a deposition that he made the 2014 contribution at the request of former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
'Mr. Schneiderman's former transition committee leader asked my daughter Ivanka if she would arrange for me to make a contribution to a fundraising event sponsored by Mr. Schneiderman for newly elected California Attorney General Kamala Harris,' Trump wrote.
SIGN OF SUPPORT: Donald Trump cut a $5,000 check to Harris's reelection campaign as California attorney general
Trump on Monday attacked Harris, after Joe Biden made history by naming her as his running mate
Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson defended the Trump campaign contributions. ''I will note that Kamala Harris is a Black woman [and] he donated to her campaign so I hope we can squash this racism argument now,' she told PBS
Ivanka Trump also gave to Harris
The contributions are disclosed on the California Secretary of State's web site
'In response, I made a $5,000 contribution to Ms. Harris' campaign — the highest level of sponsorship listed in the invitation — and Ivanka attended the event together with some of Trump Org.'s other top executives,' he added, in a document unearthed by the Washington Examiner during the Democratic nomination fight.
The Trump Organization had all kinds of business in the New York jurisdiction, which is where a class action case against Trump University ultimately led to a $25 million payment and settlement.
Trump's company also has business in California, where the Trump Organization in 2012 settled a lawsuit against the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. The real estate tycoon sued the city for $100 million following disputes over his 18-hole golf course.
Trump's campaign launched an attack ad Tuesday calling Harris 'phony.' But the campaign struggled to find a unified message, with some criticizing her record putting away criminals as a prosecutor, and others accusing her of bowing to a radical mob.
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