Vice President Kamala Harris has quickly become the target of sexist and racist attacks following President Biden’s endorsement for her presidential candidacy.
MAGA Republicans, known for misogynistic and racially charged rhetoric, have taken aim at Harris based on her race, gender, and immigrant background, setting the stage for what could be the most searing general election in modern memory.
After previously targeting Biden as old, senile, and unfit for reelection, the GOP has now directed its attacks towards Harris for being Black and South Asian, as well as for her gender.
Critics within the GOP have labeled her a “DEI hire.”
Speaking to CNN on Monday, Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee confidently claimed Harris was a mediocre “DEI hire.”
Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin suggested Harris was only backed by the Democratic Party “because of her ethnic background.”
“Apparently, they feel, or a lot of Democrats feel, they have to stick with her because of her ethnic background,” Grothman said.
Others, like conservative commentator Paul Ingrassia, have questioned Harris’s status as the child of immigrant parents.
Ingrassia incorrectly argued that Harris was not a “natural-born citizen” and therefore ineligible to run for the presidency. Harris was born in Oakland, California, making her a natural-born citizen and eligible for the presidency.
“Kamala Harris is ineligible to serve as President under the 12th Amendment. Thus, Kamala must step aside for another candidate who is actually a natural born citizen,” he asserted on X.
Some members of the GOP have also baselessly accused Harris of achieving her position through improper means.
Far-right blogger and Trump ally Laura Loomer made unfounded claims against Harris, accusing her of being “an escort,” among other allegations. Loomer also accused Harris of having an illicit relationship with Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco.
Reuters fact-checked a photo of Harris and Brown in 2020, confirming that Brown had been separated from his wife for over a decade when Harris dated him in the mid-1990s.
Loomer also insinuated an inappropriate relationship between Harris and TV host and actor Montel Williams, prompting Williams to defend Harris on X.
Such race- and gender-based attacks on Harris are unfortunately not new. For instance, in 2021, then-Senate candidate JD Vance criticized her as part of a group of “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives” and have “no direct stake” in America.
Jackson Lahmeyer, founder of the “Pastors for Trump” movement, wrote on X on July 4: “Both Joe + the Ho gotta go!”
He also referred to Harris as a “whore” and “harlot” while replying to comments on his post.
Political experts predicted that Trump and his party would launch these racist and personal attacks, and warned that the onslaught would likely intensify as the race progresses.
“America has a deep history of attacks being on the basis of race, so it is not unexpected,” said Thomas Hollihan, a professor of communication at USC Annenberg.
But Hollihan added that these attacks were unlikely to sway undecided voters and could instead galvanize the GOP’s existing base.
Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, echoed this sentiment.
“As an African and Asian American woman, Vice President Harris is likely to face a barrage of subtle and overt racist and sexist attacks in this race, but many voters will reject these and be personally offended by them,” he said.
“Americans expect better,” Panagopoulos added.
Despite facing similar sexist attacks during her own presidential run in 2016, Hillary Clinton’s ordeal was less severe compared to what Harris is likely to encounter.
“The attacks on Kamala Harris will probably be more vicious because she is not white, and there are just over 100 days before the election,” said Jonathan Aronson, a communication and international relations professor at USC Annenberg.
Hollihan concurred, suggesting that attacks on Harris would be more intense than those on Clinton due to their racial and gender dimensions.
