Right-wing pundits and commentators are trying to send viral a soundbite of Vice President Kamala Harris responding to a request for a “layman’s terms” explanation to accuse her of having “kindergarten-level insight” into the violent conflict taking place in Ukraine.
On the podcast The Morning Hustle, the vice president was asked to explain the conflict in Ukraine in a way that listeners without extensive knowledge of the news would understand. Harris said Russia’s unilateral, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine constituted a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, and she explained some of the common terminology listeners might hear in coverage of the conflict. Harris also explained that sanctions were being put in place by the American government in an effort to levy consequences on Russia for the decision to invade an independent nation.
While many observers quickly noted how the outrage was based on misleading context, right-wing actors giddily shared Harris’ explanation of Ukraine’s location and situation in relation to Russia and accused her of giving a “child-like” explanation of the conflict, despite the interviewer’s question. The clip has been widely circulated by right-wing pundits and media organizations and personalities, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, The Federalist’s Mollie Hemmingway, the Republican National Committee, and The Daily Wire.
Former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany
Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway
Former The View co-host Meghan McCain
The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro
The Federalist's Mollie Hemingway
The Federalist's Ben Domenech
The Daily Wire's Ian Haworth
