Vice President Kamala Harris is catching heat once again, this time for adopting an exaggerated southern drawl during a recent campaign stop in Detroit. Critics were quick to mock her sudden shift in accent, with many comparing her performance to Foghorn Leghorn, the classic Looney Tunes character known for his heavy southern drawl. The incident took place as Harris, now the Democratic Party’s de facto nominee following President Joe Biden’s exit from the ticket, hit the campaign trail on Labor Day.
The stark difference in Harris’s speaking tone between her two campaign stops on Monday was impossible to ignore. In Detroit, Harris delivered her speech with an over-the-top accent: “Ya betta thank a union memba for sick leave, ya betta thank a union memba for paid leave, ya betta thank a union memba for vacation time.” Just hours later, in Pittsburgh, she dropped the accent entirely and reverted to her usual speech: “Thank unions for sick leave. Thank unions for paid family leave. Thank unions for your vacation time.”
WATCH: Kamala Harris delivers the same exact line in a speech earlier today in Detroit and again in Pittsburgh a few hours later.
Let’s see if you can spot the difference… pic.twitter.com/FCRqCBqcBZ
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 2, 2024
The noticeable switch was met with a wave of criticism online. “What in the Foghorn Leghorn is Kamala talking about?” comedian Chad Prather asked, summing up the confusion many felt. YouTuber Dustin Mills compared the incident to a “comedy gag,” while author Larry Correia pointed out the cringe factor, saying, “It is always cringe when people running for office put on fake ‘blackcents,’ but I’ve never heard one sound like Foghorn Leghorn before.”
The backlash reached the White House, where Fox News reporter Peter Doocy pressed Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the vice president’s curious new accent. Jean-Pierre, visibly irritated, deflected the question, calling it “ridiculous” and insisting Americans care more about issues like the economy, health care, and democracy. But the question persisted, with Doocy pointing out the inconsistency between Harris’s speech in Detroit and Pittsburgh.
What in the Foghorn Leghorn is Kamala talking about? Why is she talking like that? pic.twitter.com/DcWvaM5I8S
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) September 3, 2024
Jean-Pierre refused to entertain the question further, brushing it off with, “We’re moving on.”
Harris’s use of different accents depending on her audience is not a new criticism. She has been accused of this behavior before, including during a 2021 visit to France, where critics claimed she adopted a “French accent.” More recently, she was called out for using a southern drawl at a rally in Atlanta. Conservative commentator Greg Price didn’t hold back, calling her “the fakest human being that has ever lived.”
The criticism isn’t just about the accent but what it represents. GOP strategist Matt Whitlock pointed out that Harris’s shifting personas on the campaign trail reflect a broader problem with her authenticity. “She changes fake accents like she changes policy positions and political personas,” Whitlock commented.
Kamala Harris speaking in Detroit earlier today vs Pittsburgh a few hours later.
Kamala speaking like Foghorn Leghorn in Detroit and sounding normal is Pittsburgh
this has to be a comedy gag no way in hell we are living in real life are living in a clown world
it is official… pic.twitter.com/H8H8i83PeI
— dustin mills (@dustinemills24) September 3, 2024
