Critics Come After Kamala Harris for Using a "Fake" Southern Accent at an Atlanta Rally
"She is not from the south as this fake attempt to randomly develop a southern accent clearly shows," one person tweeted.
Published Aug. 2 2024, 11:50 a.m. ET
Kamala Harris pictured at the Georgia rally where critics say she slipped into a "fake" accent.
By now, the idea of a politician who sometimes panders to their audience is nothing new. Sometimes this includes speaking in a particular accent, depending on the crowd. We've seen it before with Hillary Clinton, who's been called out for slipping into a southern drawl at times. Louisiana senator John Kennedy has been accused of putting on an exaggerated southern accent after switching to the Republican party.
And now, apparently, folks are seeing this kind of thing with Kamala Harris, after a video of the VP making a speech in July 2024 began making the rounds online, drawing a bunch of criticism with it.
Supporters cheer Kamala Harris at her campaign event at the Georgia State Convocation Center on July 30, 2024 in Atlanta.
Did Kamala Harris use a fake southern accent?
A clip from a speech that Harris gave in Atlanta on July 30 has been going viral. In the video, Kamala is telling rally-goers, "And you all helped us win in 2020 and we gonna do it again in 2024! Yes we will, yes we will." And yes, there's definitely a bit of a detectable southern twang to her words. Most likely she was just having a fun moment among a southern crowd, but there were plenty of social media users who were quick to criticize her for the move.
"She is not from the south as this fake attempt to randomly develop a southern accent clearly shows. Thanks for the laugh, Kamala. I look forward to many more from now until Nov. 5," tweeted one X user.
Even Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance went after Harris in a speech, saying later that week, "Kamala Harris is a phony who caters to whatever audience is in front of her. I don't know if you saw this but earlier this week — look up the clip — she went down to Georgia and started talking with a fake southern accent. I'm serious. Now what the hell is that all about?"
"Kamala Harris is from Canada," he continued (though it's worth noting that Harris is from the U.S., but spent some of her teen years in Canada). "They don't talk like that in Vancouver or Quebec or wherever she came from. Doesn't matter, it's the same new liberal policies but a different accent whoever she's talk to. Now on Nov. 5, she can go back to using her San Francisco accent because we are gonna send her packing and we're gonna elect Donald Trump president of the United States."
