Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy warned Donald Trump and other Republicans against making “stupid and foolish” personal attacks on Kamala Harris.
Harris, the first black vice president, is the presumptive Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race against Trump on Sunday.
Republicans’ racist rhetoric about Harris began almost as soon as Biden dropped out of his reelection bid, calling her a “DEI hire,” among other insults.
McCarthy warned his colleagues that this was a grave mistake that would only help Harris by alienating moderates and independents from the party.
Republicans’ racist rhetoric against Vice President Kamala Harris began almost as soon as Joe Biden dropped out of his reelection bid, calling her a “DEI hire,” among other insults.
“Two attacks that I’ve heard from Republicans that are totally stupid and dumb to make are the DEI attack, OK?” he told Meet the Press on NBC.
‘This DEI thing, it seems like a petty thing… Look, I don’t agree with DEI, but she’s the vice president of the United States. She’s the former senator of the United States. These congressmen who are saying this are wrong in their own instincts.’
McCarthy also dismissed calls from fellow Republicans for Biden to step down as president, which would automatically elevate Harris to the top job.
“That would be an advantage for Kamala. Air Force One is very powerful when it lands somewhere,” he said.
‘And you know what? Something will happen between now and the election. A hurricane or something. And she can run as a leader. Or maybe there will be some foreign policy.
“It’s a mistake for any leader on the Republican side to come out and say that.”
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy warned Donald Trump and other Republicans against making racist attacks against Kamala Harris
Congressman Tim Burchett, in particular, repeatedly mocked Harris as a “DEI hire” who was named Biden’s running mate only to demonstrate inclusivity.
“One hundred percent, she was hired because of DEI,” she told CNN, claiming she was on the ticket because Biden said during the 2020 campaign that he was “going to hire a black woman for vice president.”
“What about white women? What about any other group?” Burchett added.
He doubled down on Twitter, stating: “The media propped up this President, lied to the American people for three years, then replaced him with our DEI Vice President.”
McCarthy was joined by other Republicans who cautioned against personal attacks on Harris to avoid the risk of alienating moderate voters.
This is despite Trump’s near-constant personal insults against political opponents and others in nearly every speech and interview.
“I certainly wouldn’t focus on the rhetoric, but on the merits of doing the job,” said Rep. Max Miller, a former Trump 2020 campaign aide. Fox News.
Congressman Tim Burchett, in particular, repeatedly mocked Harris as a “DEI hire” who was only named Biden’s running mate to show inclusivity.
‘This woman is simply not ready to be the commander in chief of the country. And in my opinion, that’s what Republicans should be focusing on, rather than doing what Democrats do, which is criticizing someone for their skin color or their gender.
“It’s all about merit, so I think DEI is not the right path.”
Another House Republican added: “Personal innuendo doesn’t work in politically successful campaigns. So, well, let’s just put that stuff aside.”
Rep. Ryan Zinke said he didn’t think Trump would “launch personal attacks,” despite his long history of doing so.
However, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ignored calls for her to stop doing so, saying “everyone knows” Harris was chosen for her race.
“They didn’t pick her because she really had high ratings among Democratic voters across the country. They picked her for a reason,” he told Fox News.
‘And it seems that she, unfortunately, her gender and maybe her skin color were part of that.’
Fox News didn’t seem to get the message either, as its pundits spent much of Tuesday night hammering home the “hire on DEI” slogan.
Trump has a long history of issuing near-constant personal insults against political opponents and others in almost every speech or interview, even mocking a disabled man (pictured)
New York Attorney General Letitia James has already used Republican attacks on DEI to accuse them of racism.
He said Republicans were “scared” at the prospect of facing Harris in the election and “have nothing but racism and sexism.”
“When you have nothing else, unfortunately, you only appeal to racists, to white nationalists. That’s all,” he said.
“The reality is that Kamala Harris, Vice President Harris, is qualified. And she is often underestimated, but she is someone who stands out above all else.
“And so I’ve supported her wholeheartedly. It’s unfortunate that there are people who are just amplifying racism and sexism, and it’s totally inappropriate. And I won’t dignify that with a response.”
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