When Vice President Kamala Harris takes on former President Donald Trump on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, she’ll hope to land a verbal blow against him that sets the internet on fire.
Harris hasn’t participated in many national debates, only a handful in 2019 while running for president and the vice presidential debate in 2020, but she has tabulated her fair share of zingers and one-liners along the way.
Getting a big “debate moment” is no easy task, but Harris’s history on the stage offers some clues to how things might go against Trump. Here are some of her top takedowns from the past.
‘I’m speaking’
Of all of Harris’s memorable debate lines, “I’m speaking” is far and away the most well-known. She unleashed it six times against former Vice President Mike Pence in October 2020, coming in three sets of two.
Kamala Harris responds to Pence’s false claim that Biden will raise taxes “on day one” of his presidency: “I think this is supposed to be a debate based on fact and truth.”
When Pence interrupts, she says, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking” #VPdebate https://t.co/78k94KOfNV pic.twitter.com/Ibi4lPeLg7
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 8, 2020
“I’m speaking” lit up the internet during that election cycle, and some have speculated that the reason her campaign fought for unmuted mics against Trump was so she could repeat the move. The open mic push didn’t work, though she may still try to get it in should the rules slip.
Harris has also used “I’m speaking” in non-debate settings, such as when protesters tried interrupting her during a campaign speech in Michigan.
“If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.” – Kamala Harris in Detroit tonight pic.twitter.com/AN82XNu6qS
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 8, 2024
Harris will undoubtedly speak during her debate against Trump, but whether or not she says, “I’m speaking,” could make a big difference for her campaign.
‘That little girl was me’
Harris’s second-most famous debate moment, one that’s a little awkward in retrospect, came in 2019 when she knocked President Joe Biden for his opposition to busing as a way to desegregate schools in the 1970s.
After the first Democratic Primary Presidential debate then- Senator Kamala Harris released a throwback photo from her attack line against then-Senator Joe Biden during a debate over desegregation.
‘That little girl was me’ would later become a campaign shirt. pic.twitter.com/zQQZgiWfr7
— Beatrice Peterson (@MissBeaE on all platforms) (@MissBeaE) July 30, 2024
“There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day,” she said. “That little girl was me.”
Harris surged in the Democratic primary polls afterward and even had the phrase plastered on T-shirts, but she eventually faded amid questions about just how much her stance on busing differed from Biden’s. By the end of the year, she was out of the race and would reconcile with Biden by becoming his running mate in 2020.
No food fights
When chaos erupted during another 2019 debate, Harris was ready to cut through with a one-liner.
Kamala Harris: “America does not want to witness a food fight, they want to know how we’re going to put food on their table” #DemDebate2 pic.twitter.com/j1hoUDhDB9
— Variety (@Variety) June 28, 2019
“Hey guys, you know what?” Harris said. “America does not want to witness a food fight. They want to know how we’re going to put food on their table.”
Not only did the audience erupt, but the line earned an approving nod and a clap from Biden.
‘Decisions about the male body’
Before Harris became a presidential candidate, she made a name for herself on the national stage by grilling future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She questioned whether he had discussed the Robert Mueller report with anyone at a law firm founded by Trump’s lawyer and whether he knew of any legislation that pertains specifically to the “male body.”
It’s the anniversary of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, so we thought we’d remind you of then-Senator Kamala Harris… grilling him. pic.twitter.com/dvfSvWiZhV
— Stand Up America (@StandUpAmerica) September 6, 2024
“Can you think of any laws that give government the power to make decisions about the male body?” she asked, to make a point about women’s rights to an abortion, which would later come before Kavanaugh at the Supreme Court.
“I’m happy to answer a more specific questions,” Kavanaugh answered.
Harris responded, “male vs. female.”
“I’ll repeat the question,” she said while smiling. “Can you think of any laws that give the government the power to make decisions about the male body?”
Kavanaugh hesitated before saying, “I’m not thinking of any right now, senator.”
Both exchanges, which came toward the end of 2018, helped put her on the map for a presidential campaign, which she launched in January of the next year.
‘Has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked … ‘
Another star turn grilling a Trump appointee came in May 2019, when Harris was in the midst of her presidential campaign. This time, Attorney General William Barr was on the receiving end.
“Has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?” she asked.
Barr stammered and struggled with the question, asked Harris to repeat it, and then said he was “Trying to grapple with the word, ‘suggest.’”
The exchange went viral, and Barr’s hesitation led some to conclude that he had, in fact, been asked to open investigations.
Harris’s grilling even included a version of “I’m speaking.”
In this case, it was, “Sir, I’m asking a question,” which Harris said when Barr tried to cut in to add more information to his previous answer.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Unfortunately for Harris, she is also well-remembered for being on the receiving end of a zinger. In another 2019 debate, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) criticized Harris’s record as a prosecutor, saying, among other things, that she’d locked up 1,500 people for marijuana violations and then laughing when asked if she’d ever smoked it herself.
Harris’s response was seen as not being strong enough, and many saw it as the beginning of the end of the Harris campaign. Gabbard is now advising Trump as he prepares to debate Harris.
