Everything to know about Donald J. Harris as Trump says Kamala Harris' "Marxist professor" father "taught her well"

Former President Donald Trump called Kamala Harris a "Marxist" during their heated presidential debate ahead of the elections in November. On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, the two candidates squared off in a live broadcast aired on ABC News. Trump attacked his opponent, stating:

"She’s a Marxist, everyone knows that, her father is a Marxist professor in economics, he taught her well."

Meanwhile, the vice president did not directly address the remarks, choosing to stare in amusement and contemplation with a hand on her mouth. During her turn to respond, she criticized him for a tweet thanking Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kamala Harris is the daughter of Dr. Shyamala Gopalan and Prof. Donald J. Harris. Her parents moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley, from the opposite end of the world. Gopalan hails from India; wild Harris comes from Jamaica.

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Kamala Harris's father, Donald J. Harris received the Order of Merit from his home country of Jamaica

Kamala Harris's parents, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan and Prof. Donald J. Harris, first met in 1962 while attending a study group for black students at UC Berkeley. According to the New York Times, a year later they tied the knot. During her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Kamala stated:

"(Her parents) silent laugh in that most American Way- while marching together for justice in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s."

The couple shares daughters, Kamala and Maya. They filed for divorce in 1972.

Following graduation from UC Berkeley in 1966, Donald became an economics professor. He initially taught at several universities in the Midwest before returning to Northern California to work at Stanford University. According to his profile on History of Economic Thought (HET), he is known for bringing post-Keynesian economics into development economics.

He was initially scheduled to teach for two years, but at the time, students demanded a more radical curriculum. As a result, Donald, whom The Stanford Daily described as a "Marxian economist" in 1974, was asked to remain. He became a full-time professor in 1975. Kamala Harris's father worked at Stanford University for over two decades. He also taught at Cambridge University and Yale University, among others.

Throughout his career, Donald was actively involved in economic policy in his home country of Jamaica. In 2021, Donald J. Harris received the Order of Merit, Jamaica’s third-highest honor, for “his outstanding contributions to national development."

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This is not the first time Donald Trump labels Kamala Harris and her father Marxist. In a August 26 interview on the podcast titled Shawn Ryan Show, the former president called Harris, a communist.

"I look at actions, I don't look at words. She is really a Marxist. Or father is a Marxist professor, " before adding, "this country is not ready for a Marxist or a communist," Trump said.

He made similar comments during his rally in La Crosse Wisconsin, earlier this month.

However, it is to be noted that the term Marxism refers to the economic and political theory, stemming from Karl Marx's criticism of capitalism.

As per a September 3 report by Amy Sherman published in PolitiFact, no critic or an expert in political theory has called Kamala Harris, a Marxist or a communist. Per the report, the vice president has rather shown her support for people owning their homes and businesses.