California Gov. Gavin Newsom corrected GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’ mispronunciation of Vice President Kamala Harris’ first name during the pair’s Fox Newsdebate Thursday, recalling how some Republicans have purposely mangled “Kamala.” After DeSantis claimed that Harris and President Joe Biden are “in the pocket of the teachers’ union,” Newsom interjected: “And by the way, it’s not ‘Kamala’ Harris,” Newsom said, putting the emphasis on the second syllable. “Shame on you,” he continued, before suggesting another name that the Florida governor might not botch: madam vice president. “Stop insulting her,” he scolded. Prior to the 2020 election, then-Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, mocked Harris’ name at a campaign rally. Also that year, Tucker Carlson was widely criticized for mispronouncing the then-Senator’s name—something the now-former Fox News host would continue to do intentionally on his primetime show in the following years.
