Vice President Kamala Harris dropped the F-bomb while recently giving advice to an audience of young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
Harris was participating in a conversation moderated by actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang at an event hosted by the Asian-Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. Yang asked her what it means to be the first vice president of Asian descent and how that heritage has informed her views and roles as a leader.
Harris gave a lengthy response in which she told the young people to keep their chins up when they go into spaces where no one else looks like them.
She added, “We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won’t. And then you need to kick that f*cking door down.”
The audience clapped and hollered. Laughing herself, Harris said, “Excuse my language.” Yang said quipped that “we gotta make T-shirts with that saying.”
While the use of the expletive may have been a bit “unladylike,” these days, profanity in politics is not that unusual. This past weekend, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump led a crowd at a rally chanting “bullshit” in reference to his criminal trial in New York City. When Joe Biden was vice president, he was overheard telling President Barack Obama that newly passed health care legislation was a “big f*cking deal.” However, in the past, Harris has generally avoided such language in her public appearances.
The vice president’s appearance and interesting choice of words comes as the Biden administration celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.