Vice President Kamala Harris was accused of using a “fake accent” during a speech to Michigan teachers union members on Monday.
Speaking at a Detroit high school, Harris appeared to change the tone of her voice during particularly excited moments and when interacting with supporters in the crowd.
“You might not be a union member, but you better thank a union member for a five-day work week. You better thank a union member for sick days. You better thank a union member for paid time off. You better thank a union member for holidays,” Harris said in remarks shared by multiple social media users on X.
The Trump campaign noted that Harris made very similar remarks a few hours later while speaking to union members in Pittsburgh, but without the obvious accent.
“Let's see if you can see the difference…” wrote a post on the Trump campaign's X account, which included video clips of both speeches.
In another viral moment, after being interrupted by a supporter, Ms Harris responded, “Let's just get through the next 64 days. What do you say?” before giving a fist-bump.
“This is so embarrassing!” Comedian and podcast host Chad Prather I wrote to XHe shared a clip of Harris' speech in Detroit.
“Kamala Harris does another fake accent… this time in Detroit, Michigan!” he pointed out. “Nobody believes it!”
Republican communications strategist Matt Whitlock argued that for Kamala Harris, politics is all about performance, likening her apparent shift in accent to a sudden shift in her policies.
“She changes her fake accent just as she changes her policy positions and political persona,” Whitlock said. I wrote to X“Today she speaks with a fake Southern accent and pretends to be a moderate. Next week she'll be back to being a San Francisco liberal.”
Comedian Terrence K. Williams accused Harris of “using a fake accent” and pretending to be a black Southern woman.
“She's mocking Southerners to get their votes.” He argued.
The Vice President was born in Oakland, California, grew up in the Bay Area, and later attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
Harris' father is from Jamaica and her mother was born in India, so she doesn't appear to have any southern roots.
Harris has previously been accused of imitating accents to pander to certain audiences.
In July, social media erupted after Harris appeared to speak with a Southern accent at a rally in Atlanta.
She was also mocked online in 2021 when she appeared to imitate a French accent during a trip to Paris.
