RNC co-chair Lara Trump recently attacked Vice President Kamala Harris in a screed that only an alien who had just landed on Earth and was unaware of concepts like nepotism, misogynoir, and decency, could watch without rolling their three eyes.
Posted by Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of liberal news website MeidasTouch Network, the Trump video is worth watching for its bold lack of self-awareness. If you canât watch, hereâs the thankfully short transcript:
âTo be honest, [Harris] has failed upward her entire career. Somehowâwe know whyâJoe Biden chose her to be president, uh vice president with him. He saidâthese arenât my words, these are hisâWe want to choose someone not based on merit. Not based on their skill set. Not based on the fact that they might be the best person for the job of vice president. [BUT] Based on how she looks. Based on the fact that sheâs a woman. Based on the fact that she was a minority woman. Thatâs really gross as far as Iâm concerned. Do me a favorâdonât ever give me a position based on the fact that Iâm a woman. Either I earned it or I didnât. And thatâs it. Thatâs all I need.â
So letâs dissect Trumpâs drivel, line by line.
Lara Trump: âTo be honest, she has failed upward her entire career.â
To be honest, this is a lie. Harris steadily built a stellar career in public service over decades.
Plus, âfailing upwardâ is not something typically associated with women of color. The concept is most likely to be applied to mediocre white men.
Which is not to say that a woman couldnât fail upward. Maybe you can think of a woman in a position of authority who would fit that description, Lara. Anyone come to mind? Hmm? Well, consider some possibilities and weâll return to this later.
âSomehowâwe know whyâJoe Biden chose her to be president, uh vice president with him.â
Obviously, being a Trump means that subtlety is not on brand. But if you start with a sarcastic comment like âSomehowâŠâ then you shouldnât immediately undercut the bit by adding âwe know why.â This shifts a dog whistle into a dog bark.
âHe saidâthese arenât my words, these are his: We want to choose someone not based on merit. Not based on their skill set. Not based on the fact that they might be the best person for the job of vice president.â
So when you said 'these arenât my words', the thing that you said after was, in fact, your words. You made it sound like you were going to quote the president, but instead offered the verbal equivalent of eating too much stuffing on Thanksgiving and then sneaking off to the weird bathroom in the basement to vomit it all out.
[BUT] âBased on how she looks.â
Yes, Lara. Everything about you screams âJudge me by my kindness and my integrity and not my looks!â
âBased on the fact that sheâs a woman. Based on the fact that she was a minority woman.â
U.S. history time! There have been 49 vice presidents and this is gonna blow your mind, Lara, but until 2020, every single one had been a white male. The Democrats tried running Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. The Republicans tried running Sarah Palin in 2008. The selection of a woman VP had never been a winning strategy.
âThatâs really gross as far as Iâm concerned.â
Wait, are you saying that itâs âgrossâ that a qualified woman was selected to be vice president⊠and for the first time, the ticket won? Iâm afraid if thatâs how you feel, Lara, weâre going to have to revoke your Woman Card.
âIâm a woman.â
Sorry, but we just revoked your card, remember?
âDo me a favorâdonât ever give me a position based on the fact that Iâm a woman.â
Okay, but how about getting a position based on the fact that youâre a woman⊠who married a Trump? Or do you believe you were given your current job on merit? If so, letâs compare your rĂ©sumĂ© with that of Michael Whatley, who is your (white male) co-chair of the RNC.
MICHAEL WHATLEY
BA, MA,JD
Worked on Florida recount for George W. Bush
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy
Chief of Staff, Senator Elizabeth Dole
Partner, HBW Resource
Chair, North Carolina GOP
RNC, General Counsel
Co-Chair RNC
LARA TRUMP
B.A., Culinary school
Pastry chef
Personal trainer
Inside Edition, story coordinator/producer
Board member, Eric Trump charity*
Senior Advisor to Donald J. Trump, Inc.
FOXNews contributor
Co-Chair RNC
*The Eric Trump Foundation has since shut down after charges of self-dealing which allowed donations to flow back into Trump Organization properties.
âEither I earned it or I didnât.â
You didnât.
âAnd thatâs it. Thatâs all I need.â
Actually, you need to do one more thing. Remember when I asked if the term âfailing upwardâ reminded you of anyone else? Did you come up with a nameâŠ?
I was talking about you, silly! While you lost your Woman Card, you still have your Trump card. Thatâs how you earned your leadership positionâby marrying Eric back in 2014. You are clearly lacking in qualifications to be co-chairâthese arenât my words, theyâre the words of West Virginia GOP committeewoman Beth Bloch, who nominated you and, according to the Washington Post âwarned her fellow RNC members against overvaluing titles and experience. âGod does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called⊠Lara Trump is the embodiment of this truth.ââ
Nell Scovell is the author of the memoir âJust the Funny Parts: And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boysâ Clubâ.