Kamala Harris is being accused of talking down to her audience after she shared her insights on the Russia-Ukraine war during an interview with the Morning Hustle, a black radio broadcast that offers “an entertaining, humorous and informative take on urban pop culture.”
Harris sounded like she was addressing a roomful of kindergarteners when asked by the host to explain “what is going on in Ukraine?”
“Ukraine is a country in Europe,” she responded. “It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine so basically that’s wrong, and it goes against everything that we stand for.”
OH… MY… GOD
Q: “What’s going on in Ukraine?”
Kamala: “Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine so basically that’s wrong.”
pic.twitter.com/gDJDJQVsWb— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 1, 2022
After providing the hip hop audience with that rather simplistic view of the conflict, Harris explained that “there are terms that we use” about “respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries.”
She went on to explain the conflict in terms that amount to crude political boilerplate.
“Russia has gone into Ukraine militarily—unprovoked!—with no justification other than to exercise its power to take over another country,” she declared. “So that essentially is what’s at stake. And we in America are saying that’s wrong, and we will stand with Ukraine in saying that that is wrong.”
Full video of the interview here.
Many commenters on social media are accusing Harris of talking down to her audience.
Below is a sample of the YouTube comments blasting Harris for her “insulting” remarks.
• Talk about talking down. What an embarrassment this administration is.
• Should be titled “Indian woman speaks down to blacks like they’re children about Ukraine”
• Everyone’s favorite preschool teacher shows up to talk down to everyone. Why do you allow her to talk to you like that? This is cringe beyond words
• Why is she talking down to black people like they don’t understand politics or geographic situations. She told them Russia is a big country like she speaking to children. This is true racism.
• why does she talk down to people on this stream like they are 3 yo? pretty rude
• I didn’t know Sesame Street was on the radio.
• Wow…that was insulting.
• Is this Sesame St or does she feel the need to talk to black people like this for some other reason?
Harris, it should be noted, is infamous for coming to interviews woefully unprepared to answer even the most basic questions.
She was described as a “bully” and a “soul-destroying” boss by ex-staffers, who told the Washington Post that Harris “fails to read briefing materials, then lashes out at others when she’s unprepared.”
“It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work,” a former staffer said. “With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you’re constantly sort of propping up a bully, and it’s not really clear why,” a source told the Post.