White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on Friday denied President Donald Trump was promoting a conspiracy theory claiming presumptive vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., was not eligible for either the vice presidency or the presidency because she is the daughter of two immigrants.
"He just said that he had no idea whether that's right or wrong," Kushner, also the president's son-in-law, told "CBS This Morning." "I don't see that as promoting it. At the end of the day, it's something that's out there."
Harris' father is Jamaican and her mother is from India.
Trump told reporters Thursday he "heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements."
"I have no idea if that's right," he continued. "I would have thought, I would have assumed, that the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice president."
Harris was born in Oakland, California, and as a native-born American is eligible to serve in either role.
The New York Times noted his comments were like his claims for years that former President Barack Obama had been born in Kenya.
Kushner, meanwhile, said he personally has no reason to believe Harris is not eligible, but his focus for the past day has been on the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
He added he has not had a chance to discuss the matter with Trump and asked to "let his words" speak for him.
Kushner also discussed his own meeting with Kanye West this past week and denied the Trump campaign is who is behind getting the rapper on the presidential ballots.
"We were talking about different policies," said Kushner, who has been friends with West for about a decade. "Kanye's obviously a very visionary thinker. He's somebody who cares a lot about our country and a lot of people."
Kushner also discussed Trump's opposition to a national mask mandate, which presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden called for Thursday.
"President Trump has strongly encouraged people to wear masks," Kushner said. "He trusts Americans to make the right decisions for themselves. He trusts governors to make the right decisions."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.