VP Harris’ Georgia High School Speech Mocked As ‘Cringe’
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech to a group of high school students in Georgia on Thursday, which has been labeled as “cringe”-worthy by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, Harris, along with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, visited Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia—a significant battleground state that Democrats narrowly flipped to blue for the first time in decades just under four years ago.
During their visit, the pair dropped by a practice session of the school’s band, where Harris shared with students, “I was in a band when I was your age.” According to an aide, the Vice President had played instruments such as the French horn, xylophone, and kettle drums, The Associated Press reported.
Harris further remarked, “Sometimes you hit the right note, sometimes you don’t. But all the practice makes for beautiful music, and that is symbolic for everything that you all will do in your lives.”
Trump supporters quickly mocked Harris’ remarks. The Trump War Room X account posted a video of her speech with the caption: “WARNING: CRINGE.” Some critics also took issue with Harris' tone, suggesting she spoke to the high schoolers as though they were much younger children.
“She always does this. She literally talks down to people because she believes she is the smartest person in the room,” one X user commented. “Reality is, she is probably the dumbest person in the room.”
The visit is part of the Harris-Walz campaign's strategy to connect with voters in GOP strongholds and to present a more personal and relatable image of the ticket, which remains relatively unfamiliar to many voters. The campaign is also working on building support in areas beyond Atlanta and its suburbs, which were crucial in Joe Biden's 2020 victory in Georgia, as reported by Newsweek.
Michael Tyler, the Harris campaign's communications director, stated that bus tours provide an “opportunity to reach places we don’t usually go (and) ensure we’re competing in all communities.”
Harris has spent over 35 days since being named the Democratic Party's nominee by President Joe Biden without giving a media interview or holding a formal press conference, a move that has drawn widespread criticism.
However, this week, the Vice President's campaign announced that she had agreed to an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, which aired Thursday evening. This arrangement quickly sparked further criticism when it was revealed that she would be accompanied by her running mate, Walz.
On Tuesday, CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings criticized Harris for bringing Walz along, arguing that it underscores her perceived weakness as a candidate.
During a panel discussion on the network, anchor Anderson Cooper raised the question of whether critics would highlight Harris' ongoing refusal to do a solo interview or press conference, given that nearly 40 days had passed since she became the Democratic Party's de facto 2024 nominee.
“Is the line now going to be, well, why isn’t she doing it by herself?” Cooper asked.
“Yeah, I do think people are going to bring that up,” Jennings responded, noting that while he had “great confidence” in both the network and anchor Dana Bash, it didn’t reflect well on Harris to bring Walz along.
“I think it’s incredibly weak—weak sauce—to show up with your running mate. The fact that they don’t have enough confidence in her to let her sit, herself, the actual top of the ticket, and do a single interview…” Jennings continued. “I think the hand-wringing and gyrations over this over the last month show a troubling lack of confidence in her political ability. Which also makes you wonder as a voter, well, what kind of president would you be if this kind of a small-time decision—can we do an interview or not?—what does that look like for your decision-making process?”
“So yes, I think Republicans are going to think it’s pretty weak to show up with, effectively, someone to take up half the time,” Jennings concluded, referring to Walz in an X post as Harris’ “emotional support animal” for the interview.