Kamala Harris takes heat for laughing when a man referenced Trump’s actions as ‘mentally retarded’

Article By Tish Andrews // EEW Magazine // Politics

Democratic presidential hopeful, Kamala Harris, was filmed laughing and saying "well said" in response to a man who described President Donald Trump's actions as "mentally retarded."

Once the footage circulated online, the senator took major heat and apologized, saying she didn’t hear the offensive slur—something “The View” co-host Meghan McCain isn’t buying.

“My problem with her is, she could have said, ‘I totally messed up. I was exhausted. It’s the campaign trail. I’m so sorry. I have this bill that’s going to help people with disabilities,’ and move on,” said the 34-year-old daughter of the late Arizona senator, John McCain in reference to the controversial exchange that took place Friday at a town hall in New Hampshire.

“She clearly heard. Nobody’s stupid. There’s a video of it,” continued McCain, who then turned her remarks directly toward the former attorney general and district attorney.

“You’ve got to get better on the campaign trail in front of a live audience. We’re in front of a live audience every day. People screw up and we say dumb things. It’s okay. Just move on and apologize—unlike our president, who’s unable to do that,” said McCain.

Her opinion drew loud applause from the live studio audience, indicating majority agreement.

Meghan McCain, co-host of “The View” (Credit: Getty)

Meghan McCain, co-host of “The View” (Credit: Getty)

Harris tweeted, "When my staff played the video from my town hall yesterday, it was upsetting. I didn’t hear the words the man used in that moment,” she said, adding, “But if I had, I would’ve stopped and corrected him. I’m sorry. That word and others like it aren’t acceptable. Ever." 

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed “Rosa's Law,” to remove the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education and labor policy, and replace them with “individual with an intellectual disability” and “intellectual disability.”

These days, it is no longer acceptable to call someone “mentally retarded,” and anyone that does, is viewed as insensitive.

Harris told NBC News, "I would never condone that kind of language being spoken by anybody about anybody. It is offensive. I have worked my entire career to do a number of things including to ensure our disability community receives the dignity and the rights that they deserve."


Previous
Previous

#WorldSuicidePreventionDay: What Kelechi Ubozoh, a suicide survivor, wants you to know

Next
Next

The Latest: Hurricane Dorian death toll continues to rise in devastated Bahamas