Senator Perdue “Under Fire” After He “Intentionally Flubbed” Senator Harris’ Name at Trump Rally

October 17, 2020

“Kamala-mala-mala-whatever”

Reports say Perdue “nearly overshadowed” Trump’s entire visit to GA as he tries to save his and Perdue’s campaigns

ATLANTA — Senator Perdue is in hot water for yet another bigoted remark after making a “cheap, racist joke” at yesterday’s Macon, GA rally for President Trump by “derisively mispronouncing” Senator Kamala Harris’ name in an attempt to echo Trump’s divisive rhetoric to score political cheers as he desperately tries to save his losing reelection bid.  

Read more coverage on Senator Perdue’s bigoted remark amid his losing campaign:

AJC: Perdue purposely flubs Kamala Harris’ name, drawing sharp criticism

  • U.S. Sen. David Perdue intentionally flubbed the name of Joe Biden’s running-mate Kamala Harris at a rally Friday for President Donald Trump in Macon, drawing immediate criticism from his Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff and others who called it a “racist tactic.”
  •  “…Perdue dramatically struggled with Harris’ name, to the delight of the crowd. “Kamala? Kamala? Kamala-mala-mala? I don’t know. Whatever.” Harris and Perdue have served together in the U.S. Senate since 2017, including as members of the Senate Budget Committee.”

WATCH Good Morning America: “The battle for the White House has already shaped up to be a bitter and ugly fight. Senator David Perdue under fire for these comments he made about his colleague and Biden’s running mate Senator Kamala Harris at the President’s rally in Georgia….Harris’ spokesperson firing back, calling the remarks, ‘incredibly racist.’” 

WATCH: FOX5 Atlanta: “The Presidential visit was nearly overshadowed by remarks made by Georgia senator David Perdue.”

WATCH: WFXL Albany: “Georgia Senator David Perdue is facing major backlash after purposely mispronouncing Senate colleague Kamala Harris’ name. It happened earlier ahead of President Trump’s rally in Macon tonight.”

WATCH: CNN: GOP Senator deliberately mispronounces Harris’ name at Trump rally: “This breakthrough, what happened in terms of what Trump’s warmup act is – Senator Perdue, despite serving with Senator Kamala Harris for three years, thought this was something the crowd would like.” 

CNN: Georgia Republican senator willfully mispronounces Kamala Harris’ name at Trump rally

  • “It’s not the first time during this campaign that Perdue has been accused of discrimination against a Democrat. Perdue was criticized in June when his campaign was forced to pull a digital ad attacking Ossoff, which showed the Democrat’s nose enlarged, a hallmark of an anti-Semitic trope.

Huffington Post: Sen. David Perdue Takes Racist Jab At Kamala Harris’s Name

  • “Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia resorted to cheap, racist jokes about Sen. Kamala Harris’s name while warming up the crowd at President Donald Trump’s campaign rally Friday evening.”
  • “‘Ka-MA-la, KA-ma-la, Kamala-mala-mala. I don’t know, whatever,’ Perdue, who’s in a tight race for his Senate seat, said in Macon, Georgia, according to several reporters at the rally.”
  • Perdue, who’s been Harris’s colleague in the Senate for years, might benefit from listening to these children explain how to pronounce her name, which they did in a video for her 2016 Senate run.”

Politico: David Perdue mocks Kamala Harris’ name in Trump rally warm up

  • “Republican Sen. David Perdue mocked Sen. Kamala Harris on Friday, derisively mispronouncing the Democratic vice presidential candidate’s name during a campaign rally in Georgia.”
  • “Mispronouncing Harris’ first name has become a common attack within the Trump camp. The president routinely does so in a mocking way during his political rallies, even though he has correctly said it in less rowdy settings. Perdue and Harris (D-Calif.) have served together in the Senate since 2017.”

NBC: Sen. Perdue appears to mock Kamala Harris’ name at Trump rally

  • “Sen. David Perdue, at a Georgia campaign rally for President Donald Trump, on Friday appeared to intentionally mock the first name of Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris. At the Macon rally, Perdue, R-Ga., pronounced Harris’ name as: “Kamala, or Kamala, Kamala-mala-mala, I don’t know,” with various emphasis on parts of the name, video showed.”
  • “Perdue in July faced criticism for a digital campaign ad featuring a manipulated picture of Ossoff, who is Jewish, with an enlarged nose. The ad was taken down.

Daily Beast: Sen. David Perdue Intentionally Butchers Sen. Kamala Harris’ Name at Trump Bash

  • “Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) mispronounced Sen. Kamala Harris’ name while speaking before President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Macon, Georgia on Friday night. Emphasizing different syllables, Perdue said, “Kamala, Kamala, kamala-mala-mala—I don’t know—whatever.” The two have worked together in the Senate for nearly four years, presumably allowing him ample time to learn her name. The attack echoes Trump’s continued refusal to pronounce Harris’ name correctly.
  • “In July, Perdue’s campaign published a Facebook ad attacking Ossoff using an image of him with an enlarged nose. Ossoff is Jewish. The Republican’s campaign pulled the ad.”

ABC: Georgia Sen. David Perdue’s mispronunciation of Kamala Harris’ name draws outrage

  • This is not the first time that Perdue has been criticized for racial or ethnic insensitivity. As referenced by the DSCC’s statement Friday, state Democrats slammed the Georgia Republican in late July after his campaign posted a Facebook fundraising ad where Ossoff’s nose was slightly enlarged, an image the Jewish Senate hopeful called a “classic anti-Semitic trope.””

Associated Press: GOP senator mispronounces Kamala Harris’ name at Trump rally

  • “Republican Sen. David Perdue mocked Kamala Harris, his Senate colleague and the Democratic vice presidential nominee, on Friday by repeatedly mispronouncing her name at a Georgia rally for President Donald Trump.”
  • “Perdue was wrapping up his remarks at an event in Macon when he referred to Harris as “KAH’-mah-lah? Kah-MAH’-lah? Kamala-mala-mala? I don’t know. Whatever.” The audience laughed.”
  • “Harris’ political opponents have repeatedly mispronounced her name since she became the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent on a national ticket. Democrats say the mispronunciations smack of racism.”

###

Other News from DPG

Questions? Tips? Call anytime.

Georgia Voter Protection Line

1-888-730-5816

Democratic Party of Georgia

Help us elect Democrats in Georgia.