Kamala Harris dropping f-bomb raises eyebrows: "Trash mouth" (2024)

Vice President Kamala Harris has provoked conservative backlash by using the "f-word" while reflecting on becoming the country's first Asian-American vice president.

Harris used the expletive while describing "breaking barriers" to the vice presidency and encouraging the aspirations of young Asian-Americans during an onstage discussion at an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies event in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

"Don't ever carry as a personal burden your capacity to do whatever you dream and aspire to do based on other people's limited ability to see who can do what," Harris said.

"Sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open, sometimes they won't," she continued. "And then you need to kick that f***ing door down [laughter] ... excuse my language."

The remark inspired outrage from Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo during a Monday night appearance on The Ingraham Angle, with the pundit insisting that frequent swearing at rallies by former President Donald Trump is not comparable.

Arroyo claimed that the swear was part of a "pattern." He pointed out that President Joe Biden, while serving as vice president, was captured on a "hot mic" in 2010 telling former President Barack Obama that the passage of the Affordable Care Act was a "big f***ing deal."

"President Trump has used profanities on occasion," Arroyo said. "But in an official capacity, when you are representing the office of vice president or president ... Kamala Harris dropped an f-bomb here, you'll remember Joe Biden years ago said 'this is a big f-ing deal.'"

"This is a bad pattern," he continued. "It diminishes the office and I think it turns off family audiences, particularly those you're trying to reach."

Newsweek reached out for comment to the office of Harris via email on Monday night.

Conservatives reacted to the vice president's use of the expletive on social media with a mixture of similar outrage and claims that she was attempting to appear "hip" for young voters.

"In an attempt to be 'cool,' VEEP disaster Harris dropped an 'F' bomb. So hip! So fetch!" conservative pundit Tomi Lahren wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"Demand more from elected officials," wrote Rebeccah Heinrichs of conservative think tank Hudson Institute.

"Kamala just dropped the F word at an event," conservative podcast host Joey Mannarino wrote. "Surprised to see her get so foul. This is how you know they're struggling with the youth vote."

"Aside from it being incredibly uncouth that our VP would use the f— word in public remarks, I must say that Kamala Harris would make an excellent chef due to her ability to craft a superb word salad," wrote @CryptidPolitics, an account associated with the former presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

"The only part of her that's not phony is the trash mouth," conservative talk radio host Chris Stigall wrote.

However, others praised Harris for using the word and mocked her conservative critics, with at least one person arguing that other politicians should follow her example.

"You know what diminishes the office, Raymond Arroyo? A sitting president writing checks from the Oval Office to reimburse his fixer for paying hush money to the p*rn star he slept with," wrote @dcpoll. "But go ahead and clutch your pearls because Vice President Harris dropped an F-bomb."

"Our Vice President Kamala Harris is a bada** and she gets no credit for how well she's done as VP," musician Ricky Davila wrote. "I love her."

"Politicians should say 'f***' more, it even makes kamala harris seem more relatable," wrote Kat Abu of liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America.

"MAGA supporters clutch their pearls in faux outrage after Vice President Kamala Harris drops an F-bomb during a fiery speech, prompting thunderous applause from the audience," @OccupyDemocrats wrote. "This is just too good ..."