The New Hampshire governor was asked if he deliberately mispronounced Kamala Harris’s name during an awkward exchange with a reporter.
Politico reporter Eugene Daniels questioned Chris Sununu over his pronunciation of the vice president’s name.
The correct pronunciation of Harris’s name has been a high-profile issue since she was named as Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020.
The topic came up again Thursday, when Daniels asked Sununu about the likelihood of Harris taking over as the Democratic nominee in the wake of Joe Biden’s disastrous recent performance.
“I often hear Republicans mispronouncing Vice President Kamala Harris’ name,” Daniels said in a clip from her show. “You’ve done it multiple times. Is that a tactic? Or is it just a hard name to pronounce?”
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu was asked if he was deliberately mispronouncing Kamala Harris’s name during an awkward exchange with a reporter.
Sununu was seen visibly surprised by the suggestion before stating that it was a mistake.
But since Republicans had already butchered Harris’s name both deliberately and unintentionally, Daniels doubled down by inviting Sununu to say it again.
The Governor pronounces her name as ‘Kuh-MAL-a’ when the correct pronunciation is ‘Comma-la’, which has been widely documented during the Vice President’s tenure.
“If I pronounce her name wrong, I apologize,” Sununu said. “I say Kuh-MAL-a Harris. I tell you honestly, I wouldn’t disrespect anybody by pronouncing their name wrong.”
Daniels took the opportunity to educate Sununu by telling him, “Comma-la. Comma-la. Comma-la. Don’t apologize to me, that’s not my name.”
The discourse surrounding Harris’s name is well documented: The Washington Post wrote a piece about all the people who got it wrong during last week’s Republican National Convention.
They joined the likes of Tucker Carlson, who lost his temper after his pronunciation was questioned in 2020.
Donald Trump has also historically used the name clumsily or made a show of exaggeratedly pronouncing it in a seemingly mocking manner.
Sununu pronounces his name as ‘Kuh-MAL-a’ when the correct pronunciation is ‘Comma-la’, which has been widely documented during the vice president’s tenure.
Politico reporter Eugene Daniels (left) questioned Chris Sununu (right) on Thursday over his pronunciation of the vice president’s first name.
Critics believe the mispronunciation is a deliberate tactic to draw attention to Harris’ heritage as a Black and Indian woman.
Harris herself addressed the issue, posting a video in 2016 in which she used children to help educate people.
“People pronounce my name in so many different ways. Let #KidsForKamala show you how it’s done,” she said.
And in a 2019 memoir, Harris wrote: “My name is pronounced ‘comma-la,’ like the punctuation mark. It means ‘lotus flower,’ which is a symbol of importance in Indian culture.”
However, even Biden has gotten into trouble before, butchering his vice president’s name during a 2019 speech recognizing the Golden State Warriors for winning the NBA Championship.
