The day after announcing her candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination, Kamala Harris is already the target of mockery from her opponent Donald Trump, who did not fail to make fun of her laugh, nicknamed her “Laffin’ Kamala” (the giggling Kamala). Will the fact that the candidate expected to be elected to the American presidency is a woman from a diverse background work in her favor or, on the contrary, will it fuel the attacks on him?
On Sunday night, Donald Trump addressed a crowd of Republican supporters in Michigan, where he criticized the laughing at the American vice president, whom he nicknamed “Laffin’ Kamala” ». “Have you ever 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 Université du Québec à Montréal. “For women, laughter was associated with emotional distress, a lack of decorum, a display of childishness ” she says.
That’s exactly what Republicans are trying to push, says Serge Elie Banyongen, a professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa. He says Harris’ opponents will do everything they can to capture media attention by making patriarchal speeches.
An opinion shared by M.me Chagnon: “In Republican circles, these sexist comments have a lot of resonance,” she specifies.
These types of attacks are not limited to American politics. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante was also criticized for laughing in the middle of the leaders’ debate during the 2021 municipal election campaign. Former Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre told her: “Stop laughing. It’s too important.” Mme Plante stopped abruptly to answer him: “Excuse me? Because for you, when we laugh, is that a problem, Mr. Coderre?”
“Unlike men, women do not enjoy any presumption of competence,” notes M.me Chagnon.
This is not the first time that the Republican candidate has had fun giving nicknames to his political opponents. He thus renamed Hillary Clinton “Crooked Hillary” during the 2016 campaign, Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe” and senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz “Little Marco” and “Lyin’ Ted” (Ted the liar).
Ironically, in the wake of his attacks on Kamala Harris, Donald Trump saw his donations to her re-election campaign as California attorney general made public. Trump had given her $5,000 in 2011, then $1,000 in 2013. His daughter Ivanka Trump donated $2,000 in 2014.
The ultimate glass ceiling
In January 2021, Kamala Harris broke the mold in American politics by becoming the first African-American woman of Asian descent to be nominated for vice president. She aims to continue shattering stereotypes this fall, by becoming the first woman to become the first woman to lead the United States.
“Kamala Harris represents the potential to transform, from a gender and racial perspective, our democracy,” argues Susan Burgess, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State University. In her opinion, the vice president brings a breath of fresh air to the American political scene. However, because 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 Mme Burgess.
Since the creation of the United States in 1776, only men have held the office of president. According to Mme 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 remain male-dominated to this day,” 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 senator for 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 United States 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 Université du Québec à Montréal believes that Kamala Harris is being used by the Democrats as “a sacrificial sheep.”
“It’s an old male strategy, sending women to the front when the situation is desperate,” explains Mme Chagnon. It’s not so insignificant that, all of a sudden, after they kept her in the shadows for four years, and that we have, even in the entourage of [Joe] Biden, who had expressed inelegant doubts about his abilities, is now said to be the best person for the job. job. »
Susan Burgess, for her part, disputes this view. “Americans like to vote for change,” she argues. “People are exhausted, Kamala’s candidacy [Harris] is a relief.”