Kamala Harris has rejected Nikki Haley’s claim on Fox News that the United States has “never” been a racist country.

       The vice president criticised the Republican 2024 hopeful a day after Ms Haley rejected the suggestion she finished third in the Iowa caucuses behind two white men because of the colour of her skin.

       Ms Haley, Donald Trump’s former ambassador to the UN, made her comments during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News in response to comments by MSNBC host Joy Reid.

       “We’re not a racist country… We’ve never been a racist country,” she said. “Our goal is to make sure that today is better than yesterday. Are we perfect? No. But our goal is to always make sure we try and be more perfect every day that we can.”

       She continued: “I know I faced racism when I was growing up. But I can tell you, today is a lot better than it was then. Our goal is to lift up everybody, not go and divide people on race or gender or party or anything else. We’ve had enough of that in America.”

       Ms Harris slammed that position when she was asked about it during a Wednesday appearance on The View.

       “The issue of race in America is not something that should be the subject of a soundbite. The history of racism in America is not something that should be the subject of a soundbite or a question that is meant to illicit a one-sentence answer,” the Democrat from California said.