Photo: Nathan Howard Getty Images via Agence France-Presse In January 2021, Kamala Harris broke the mold of American politics by becoming the first African American woman of Asian descent to be nominated for vice president.
Camila Lewandowski Montreal
Published at 7:20 p.m. Updated at 8:06 p.m.
- United States
The day after the announcement of her candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party, Kamala Harris is already the target of taunts from her opponent Donald Trump, who did not fail to make fun of her laughter, nicknamed her “ Laffin’ Kamala” (Kamala the Sneer). Will the fact that the candidate for the American presidential election is a woman from a diverse background work in her favor or, on the contrary, will it fuel attacks on him ?
On Sunday night, Donald Trump addressed a crowd of Republican supporters in Michigan, where he criticized the laugh of the US vice president, whom he calls “Laffin’ Kamala”. “You’ve seen her laugh? She’s crazy,” he said, prompting laughter from his supporters. “You can tell a lot about people by the way they laugh,” Mr. Trump continued. “She’s crazy, she’s nuts, but she’s not as crazy as Nancy Pelosi.” Mr. Trump finally ended his tirade by declaring: “She’s as crazy as a bedbug.”
Historically, women's laughter was frowned upon, explains Rachel Chagnon, dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Law at the University of Quebec in Montreal. “Among women, laughter was associated with emotional disturbance, a lack of decorum, a display of childishness ”, she specifies.
This is exactly what the Republicans are trying to put forward, indicates Serge Elie Banyongen, professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa. According to him, Kamala Harris's opponents will do everything possible to capture media attention by making patriarchal speeches.
An opinion shared by Ms. Chagnon. “In Republican circles, it has a lot of resonance,” these sexist comments, she specifies.
This type of attack is not limited to American politics. The mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, was also accused of laughing in the middle of the leaders' debate during the 2021 municipal election campaign. The former mayor of the metropolis Denis Coderre then told her: “Stop laughing. It's too important. » Ms. Plante stopped abruptly to respond to him: “Excuse me ? Because for you, when we laugh, it’s a problem, Mr. Coderre ? »
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“Unlike men, women do not enjoy any presumption of competence,” notes Ms. Chagnon.
This is not the first time that the Republican candidate has had fun giving nicknames to his political opponents. He renamed Hillary Clinton “Crooked Hillary” during the 2016 campaign, Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe”, and senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz “Little Marco”. Marco) and “Lyin' Ted”.
Ironically, in the wake of his attacks on Kamala Harris, Donald Trump saw his donations to the campaign re-election of the latter as attorney general of California be made public. Trump gave him US$5,000 in 2011, then US$1,000 in 2013. His daughter Ivanka Trump donated US$2,000 in 2014.
The ultimate glass ceiling
In January 2021, Kamala Harris broke the mold of American politics by becoming the first African-American woman in of Asian origin to be appointed vice-president. She wants to continue to shatter stereotypes this fall, by being the first woman to become president of the United States.
“Kamala Harris represents the opportunity to transform, from a gender and racial perspective, our democracy,” argues Susan Burgess, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio University. According to her, the vice-president brings a breath of fresh air to the American political scene. However, since she is a woman and a representative of racial minorities, access to the presidency of the United States will be more difficult for her than for her Republican opponent, concedes Ms. Burgess.
Since the founding of the United States in 1776, only men have held the office of president. According to Ms. Chagnon, it will be quite a challenge for Kamala Harris to break through the glass ceiling and thus become the head of the Oval Office. “The choices for the transfer of power are made in very small circles and they still remain masculine today,” explains the dean. The possibility for women to break through these establishments, to position themselves as potential candidates and to be supported by these establishments themselves is very slim. »
She gives the example of Hillary Clinton, who worked in the Democratic Party from 1968, and who was a senator from the State of New York from 2001 to 2009, Secretary of State during Obama's first term and first lady during those of her husband, Bill Clinton, from 1993 to 2001. Despite her long political journey, she did not succeed in becoming president of the States -United in 2016.
“A sacrificial sheep”
According to Rachel Chagnon, it is very likely that Donald Trump will win the American presidential election. The dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Law at the University of Quebec in Montreal believes that Kamala Harris is being used by Democrats as “a sacrificial sheep.”
“It’s an old masculine strategy, sending women to the front when the situation is desperate,” explains Ms. Chagnon. It's not that trivial that, all of a sudden, after they kept her in the shadows for four years, and that we have, even in [Joe] Biden's entourage, expressed inelegant doubts about his abilities, he is now said to be the best person for the job. »
Susan Burgess for her part disputes this opinion. “Americans like to vote for change,” she maintains. People are exhausted, Kamala [Harris]'s candidacy is a relief. »
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