Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders took a swipe at Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday night at a campaign event for former President Donald Trump, saying that her children keep her “humble” and that it’s unfortunate Harris “doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”
While speaking in Flint, Michigan, ahead of Trump taking the stage, Sanders spoke about the apparent attempted assassination of Trump on Sunday in West Palm Beach, Florida, adding, “God is not done with President Trump.”
Sanders added that the most important title she has is being a mother. “Not only do my kids serve as a permanent reminder of what’s important, they also keep me humble,” Sanders said, sharing a moment when her daughter was getting ready for a father-daughter dance years ago. “As I’m talking to her, I’m telling her how proud I am of her, how thankful I am that God chose us to be her parents. How beautiful she is on the inside and out,” Sanders said, adding how emotional she was getting in the moment.
“As my eyes fill with tears, my sweet daughter reaches up, pats my shoulder, and says, ‘It’s OK, Mommy, one day you can be pretty too.’ So, my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble,” Sanders said.
Newsweek has reached out to Harris’ campaign via email Tuesday night and Sanders’ office via online form for comment.
After taking the dig at Harris, Sanders’ remark elicited a “boo” from the crowd. “You would think after four years of straight failure, she would know a little humility,” Sanders said, then ripping Harris over the southern border and inflation. “The future of my kids and the future of our country depends so much on who our next president is.”
The jab from Trump’s former White House press secretary toward Harris follows the resurfacing of Republican vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance’s 2021 “childless cat ladies” comments that took the internet by storm, triggering fierce backlash.
On X, formerly Twitter, attorney and writer Amee Vanderpool reacted to Sanders’ comments: “Sarah Huckabee Sanders gets down lower than JD Vance’s level by shaming another woman for not having biological children while she intentionally mispronounces her name: ‘Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.'”
MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes also reacted on X, saying, “I’ll say this: at this point this isn’t some savvy political calculation: they genuinely, as an ideological matter, have contempt for people without children.”
I’ll say this: at this point this isn’t some savvy political calculation: they genuinely, as an ideological matter, have contempt for people without children. https://t.co/QOGYOX2bSn
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) September 17, 2024
Daniel Parker, Arkansas Democratic U.S. House candidate, said in part, “This is despicable coming from our governor. Arkansas, we are better than this.”
Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek Tuesday night via text message: “The comment made by Sanders is potentially damaging, as it could alienate voters who find personal attacks based on family circumstances, especially around sensitive topics like childbearing, offensive and out of touch.”
“In a time when many voters are seeking candidates who unite rather than divide, rhetoric that targets personal choices or situations risks backfiring,” Agranoff added, while also noting the backlash Trump and Vance face over unfounded claims that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Ohio.
“While both comments regarding pets and children are inflammatory, this one may resonate more deeply with women and families who feel such statements cross a personal boundary. It could certainly have a more lasting negative impact on Trump’s campaign by detracting from policy discussions and amplifying unnecessary division,” Agranoff concluded.
