Arizona Senator Mark Kelly—a name rumored to be on Vice President Kamala Harris‘ shortlist for a running mate—described former President Donald Trump as a “scared old man” while speaking with CNN Wednesday night.
Kelly, who appeared on The Source with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, was asked for his reaction to Trump’s comments earlier in the day while speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago, during which Trump questioned Harris’ Black heritage.
Kelly told Collins that his first impression of Trump’s stage commentary was that it was “the reaction of a desperate and scared old man.”
“It was very obvious to me watching him, and just what I’ve seen over the last week while she’s [Harris] been across the country just kicking butt, that he’s afraid,” the senator continued. “He’s afraid to debate her. He’s certainly afraid to lose an election to her in November, and he’s afraid about his own future.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email for comment on Kelly’s remarks.
Trump’s appearance at NABJ’s annual conference has received widespread backlash. The former president showed hostility after some questions asked by the moderating journalists, including the first question from ABC News’ Rachel Scott that challenged Trump on his past statements about the birtherism conspiracy theory pertaining to former President Barack Obama and his attacks toward congressional lawmakers of color.
When asked why Black voters should “trust” him in November, Trump told Scott, “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, the first question … Are you with ABC, because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network.”
The former president was later asked about the conservative claim that Harris is a “DEI candidate,” or that she was only selected as the presumptive Democratic nominee because of her race.
Trump, after asking for the definition of “DEI” (diversity, equity and inclusion) several times, responded to the question from Scott by questioning Harris’ race.
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” he said. “I didn’t know she was Black until a couple of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black.”
Harris is the first woman to serve as vice president and is Black and Asian American. Her father is from Jamaica and her mother hails from India.
Kelly’s comments come as suspense continues to build around Harris’ selection of her running mate for November. The Arizona senator, who won his seat in Congress in the 2022 midterms, is believed to be on Harris’ “shortlist” of candidates, along with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Harris’ campaign is also believed to have started vetting several other Democrats, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Those names, however, are not believed to be among Harris’ top contenders.
The vice president told journalists on Tuesday that she had “not yet” picked a running mate. Reuters reported earlier in the day, however, that Harris plans to pick her vice president in the coming days, and that the person will travel to campaign events next week.
Kelly sidestepped questions from Collins about being considered for Harris’ running mate, saying that he’s “not going to get into that, especially today.”
“You know, this is not about me,” Kelly continued. “This is about Donald Trump, and what a sad figure he has become, sad and desperate.”
