Kamala Harris Slammed on Twitter for Using “Fake Accent” While Speaking to Supporters in Detroit (Video)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris faced criticism on Twitter for allegedly using a “fake accent” during her speech to teachers union members in Detroit, Michigan, on Monday night, September 2.
While addressing the crowd at a Detroit high school, Harris seemed to alter her tone of voice, especially during moments of heightened emotion and interaction with the audience.
“You may not be a union member, but you better thank a union member for the five-day work week. You better thank a union member for sick leave. You better thank a union member for paid leave. You better thank a union member for vacation time,” Harris said, in a segment that quickly circulated on social media.
Critics pointed out that Harris, 59, was born in Oakland, California, and raised in the Bay Area before attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Given her background, some questioned the authenticity of her accent, noting that her father is from Jamaica and her mother was born in India, with no apparent ties to the Southern United States.
The Trump campaign seized on the moment, highlighting that Harris used a similar line hours later in a speech to union workers in Pittsburgh, where the alleged accent was absent. The campaign’s Twitter account posted, “Let’s see if you can spot the difference…” alongside video clips from both speeches.
Social media users quickly reacted. Comedian and podcast host Chad Prather called the speech “SO CRINGE!” and noted Harris had “again brought out her FAKE accent…this time in Detroit, Michigan! NO ONE IS BUYING IT!”
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
Republican strategist Matt Whitlock suggested that “all of politics is a performance to Kamala Harris,” comparing her accent switch to her perceived policy inconsistencies. “She changes fake accents like she changes policy positions and political personas,” he wrote on Twitter. “Today she’s talking in a fake southern accent, pretending to be a moderate. Next week she’ll be back to San Francisco liberal.”
Comedian Terrence K. Williams accused Harris of “pretending to be a black southern woman” by “using a fake accent” and claimed she was “mocking southern folks and pandering for votes.”
See more reactions below…