White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the suggestion that Kamala Harris use different accents “foolish.”
“Do you think Americans really think this is an important issue? You know what they care about?” he told Fox News’ Peter Doocy when asked about the issue at Tuesday’s press conference. “They care about the economy, they care about cutting costs, they care about health care — that’s what Americans care about.”
“I’m not even going to consider any questions about it… hearing it sounds so ridiculous.”
“It’s crazy,” he added.
Social media went wild on Monday with claims that Harris used a “fake accent” when speaking to a teachers union during a campaign rally in Michigan.
The Internet erupted with accusations that the Democratic presidential candidate mangled her voice during remarks praising teachers union members at a Detroit high school.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the suggestion that Kamala Harris uses different accents “insane”
In their comments, social media users claim Harris adopted an urban accent to connect with working-class people.
“You may not be a union member, but you better thank a union member for the five-day workweek,” Harris said in a tone of voice atypical of her usual speeches.
She continued: ‘You better thank a union member for sick leave. You better thank a union member for paid leave. You better thank a union member for vacation time.’
Harris has faced accusations and ridicule on the issue earlier in her career and they have resurfaced as she campaigns against Donald Trump to win the White House.
“Kamala’s new accent just came out,” one X user wrote in response to a clip of Harris speaking at Monday’s event at a high school in Detroit, Michigan.
“I’m from California. We all talk like that,” one X user sarcastically wrote along with a phonetic spelling of how Harris spoke in her comments: “I’ll be sure to thank my union member today.”
Harris was born in California and represented the state in the Senate before becoming vice president.
At another point, an audience member shouted something about their future beyond the 2024 election.
Harris, still employing her new accent, responded with a big smile and laugh before leaning across the podium and saying, “Let’s just get through the next 64 days.”
‘Kamala’s new accent just dropped,’ wrote one X user.
Harris was in Detroit on Labor Day speaking to union members in the Northwestern High School gymnasium about unions’ contributions to the workforce.
The vice president is half Jamaican and half Indian. Trump’s campaign has accused her of using her blackness to her advantage when it suits her and has pointed to the fact that she touted her Indian-American heritage when she became a U.S. senator in 2017.
Trump also said during a hostile interview with the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago last month that Harris only began “promoting” her blackness when she was running for president.
“I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago when she became black and now she wants to be known as black,” she said during the annual convention. “So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?”
Discovery Institute journalist Jonathan Choe noted on X, formerly Twitter, that this was a code-switch Harris was using to further connect with a predominantly black and urban audience listening to her remarks Monday.
‘Kamala Harris codeswitches again as she shows off new accent at Detroit rally,’ he wrote.
Kamala Harris has been accused in the past of using a more “urban accent” to appear more approachable when speaking to black and working-class crowds.
The latest criticism comes after Harris was also mocked in July for faking a Southern accent during a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
“You all helped us win in 2020 and we’ll do it again in 2024,” Harris told voters in her faux Southern accent.
Harris often adopts a Southern accent when speaking to voters in Southern communities. The vice president grew up in San Francisco, California, and spent her high school years in Montreal, Canada.
He faced similar criticism during the 2020 election campaign when he stretched his vocals during an event in Florida, saying, “We’ll tell you that we were hanging out in a parking lot on this particular Saturday afternoon with Kamala and all of our friends.”
Outkick writer Ian Miller posted on Monday about the latest use of the accent: “At some point, Kamala is going to speak in England and adopt a completely British accent and everyone is going to pretend it’s totally normal.”
Outkick writer Ian Miller posted about the latest use of the accent: “At some point, Kamala is going to speak in England and adopt a completely British accent and everyone is going to pretend it’s totally normal.”
‘BREAKING: Kamala Harris reveals new urban accent in Detroit,’ wrote the pro-MAGA account End Wokeness.
“This is shameful pandering,” wrote another. “Kamala is using her new ‘accent’ when speaking to a certain demographic of people.”