Haley and White House condemn attacks on Harris' gender and race

Republican leader Nikki Haley stated on Thursday (25) that attacking vice-president Kamala Harris based on her gender and skin color is not helpful. She emphasized that criticism should focus on Harris's policies and accomplishments.

"It's not helpful. We're talking about a liberal senator who has not accomplished very much, and what she was given, she didn't do much with. You don't need to talk about what she looks like or what gender she is. The American people are smarter than that," Haley told CNN in an interview. She was responding to questions about attacks on Harris related to her race and gender.

“Talk about the fact that she doesn't believe in fracking. Tell that to the voters in Pennsylvania. Talk about the fact that she doesn't want to talk about paying down debt. She wants to increase taxes. Tell that to the American people. Talk about the fact that consumer prices have gone up 19.5 per cent since Joe and Kamala were in office,” she said.

“Talk about the fact that she's always sided with the Palestinian protests instead of our friend Israel. There are so many issues we can talk about when it comes to Kamala Harris. It doesn't matter what she looks like. It matters what she said, what she's fought for, and the lack of results that she's had because of it,” Haley said.

The former Republican presidential candidate, who lost to Donald Trump in the primary race, said she was not surprised when Democratic nominee and incumbent president Joe Biden dropped out of the race, paving the way for Harris to be on the party’s ticket.

“I wasn't surprised and I didn't take happiness in it. Through the whole campaign, I fought for mental competency tests. I wasn't doing it to be disrespectful. I wasn't doing it to be mean. I was doing it because I think it's not just Joe Biden. There is an issue that we have in DC where people will go into office and they won't let go. And then their staffers and their family keep propping them up and it's a problem for the American people,” she said.

“So, I never thought he would make it to the election. I always said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris, and I think that's what's playing out,” she said.

Haley, the former South Carolina governor and US Ambassador to the United Nations, said the Democrats are very smart to put in a younger candidate.

“I think that that's what America has craved. But I think what you look at is they put in the weakest candidate they could put in,” she said.

“You look at the fact that Kamala.. she had one job. That was to deal with illegal immigration and the border. She didn't do it. She was the most progressive senator that we had next to Bernie Sanders. You can see it playing out, whether it's the fact that she didn't show up at Bibi's speech yesterday, whether it's the fact that she pushed for all this government spending, whether it's the fact that when she was in California, the most liberal state, there was no tax she didn't propose. There was nothing that she didn't want to see,” Haley said.

“All of her, the things she's doing from not wanting fracking to not wanting oil drilling, all of these things are incredibly liberal. And she is much more progressive than Joe Biden ever was. So, the fact that they put in Kamala Harris, kudos for putting in someone younger. The fact that you put in one of the most liberal politicians you probably could have put in it's going to be an issue,” Haley said.

Meanwhile, the White House on Thursday described the increasing sexist and racist attacks on vice-president Kamala Harris as "disgusting". The attacks have intensified after she became the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic party.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“I think it's desperate. I think it's disgusting and I think it's a dog whistle. We should not forget that she is the vice-president of the United States. She should get that respect. She's been doing this job with the president for almost four years,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.

"She's a former senator and has been a critical partner in getting the economy restarted and making sure that – that we deal with the pandemic. And to hear that is, frankly, disgusting," Jean-Pierre said when asked about the increase in racist and sexist attacks against Harris, who is of both India and African origin.

It increased to such a level that the House speaker Mike Johnson had to ask his Republican lawmakers to avoid such an attack.

“When you have the speaker of the House, obviously he's a Republican, and this is something that you all have reported, set up a meeting to tell Republican leaders to stop being racist, to stop being misogynist, to stop being sexist, I think that says a lot that they have to be told to not do that,’ Jean-Pierre said.

According to Politico, “House Republican leaders told lawmakers to focus on criticizing vice-president Kamala Harris’ record without reference to her race and gender, following caustic remarks from some Republicans attacking her on the basis of identity.”

At an election rally in North Carolina, former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had said vice-president Harris is “unfit to rule” and described her as a "radical left lunatic".

“For three and a half years, Lyin Kamala Harris has been the ultra-liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe. She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office. We're not going to let that happen,” Trump said on Wednesday (24) as he unleashed a torrent of attacks against her. (PTI)