Vice President Kamala Harris is facing more accusations of adopting a "fake accent", this time with her voice. Critics allege that Harris adopted a "fake accent" while addressing a teachers union during a swing state campaign push in Michigan on Monday. She appeared to change her tone, and became particularly animated when interacting with the audience.
Social media erupted with accusations that the Democratic presidential candidate changed her voice while delivering a speech praising teachers union members at a Detroit high school. The presidential nominee has previously been accused and mocked for allegedly adopting different accents, and these claims are resurfacing with just two months left for the election day.
Harris and Her Fake Accent
"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 at one point in her remarks.
Video clip of the comments were shared on X by several social media users.
The Trump campaign pointed out that Harris used a nearly identical line a few hours later in a speech to union workers in Pittsburgh, where the noticeable accent was absent.
"Let's see if you can spot the difference..." read a post on the Trump campaign's X account, which included video clips from both speeches.
In another widely shared moment, Harris, after being interrupted by a supporter, replied, "Let's just get through the next sixty-four days. How about that?" and then made a fist-bump gesture.
"New Kamala accent just dropped," one X user commented in reaction to the clip.
"This is SO CRINGE!" comedian and podcast host Chad Prather posted on X, along with a clip of Harris' speech in Detroit.
"Kamala Harris has again brought out her FAKE accent...this time in Detroit, Michigan!" he observed. "NO ONE IS BUYING IT!"
Republicans Blast Harris for Fake Accent
Matt Whitlock, a Republican communications strategist, argued that "all of politics is a performance to Kamala Harris," likening her apparent accent switch to her policy flip-flops.
"She changes fake accents like she changes policy positions and political personas," Whitlock wrote on X. "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."
"She is mocking southern folks and pandering for votes," he argued.
Harris was in Detroit at Northwestern High School's gymnasium on Labor Day, addressing union members about the role of unions in the labor force.
The vice president is of Jamaican and Indian descent. The Trump campaign has accused her of leveraging her Black identity when it benefits her, while noting that she touted her Indian-American heritage when she was elected U.S. Senator in 2017.
Harris has been previously criticized for allegedly adopting different accents to appeal to specific audiences.
In July, social media reacted strongly when she appeared to use a Southern drawl during a rally in Atlanta.
She was also ridiculed online in 2021 when, during a visit to Paris, she appeared to imitate a French accent.
