Trump Mispronounces Kamala’s Name; Kids Show It’s Easy To Get Right

Donald Trump has a history of mispronouncing Vice President Kamala Harris’s name, and this week, her young grandnieces took center stage to demonstrate just how simple it is to get it right.

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, eight-year-old Amara Ajagu and her six-year-old sister Leela joined actress Kerry Washington to teach the audience the correct pronunciation of their grandaunt’s name.

“I’ve noticed that some people have difficulty—either genuinely or otherwise—with pronouncing the name of our future president,” Washington told the crowd before introducing the two girls.

“While confusion can happen, disrespect cannot,” she continued. “So tonight, we’re going to help everyone get it right.”

The sisters took their turns to explain how to say Kamala correctly. Amara began, explaining, “First, you say ‘comma’ like the punctuation mark.”

Leela added in a cheerful, sing-song voice, “Then you say ‘la’ like la-la-la-la-la.”

“Alright, let’s practice,” Washington suggested.

Under her guidance, the crowd participated in the exercise. Amara pointed to one section of the audience and instructed, “Everybody over here say ‘comma’!”

Leela then directed the other side, “Everybody over here say ‘la’!”

The United Center echoed with the combined response of the crowd: “Kamala!”

With further prompting from Washington, the enthusiastic audience chanted “Kamala,” and she concluded with “for president,” which received an uproar of applause.

Trump has not only struggled with Harris’s name but has employed derogatory twists, using variants like “Kamabla.” Recently, while speaking at the Believers Summit organized by Turning Point Action in Florida, he stated there are “numerous ways” to pronounce her name, then shockingly added that he “couldn’t care less” about getting it correct.

This isn’t the first occasion Harris has urged others to pronounce her name correctly. During her 2016 Senate campaign, she released a video clarifying it.

Harris’s name derives from the Sanskrit word “kamalam,” which translates to “lotus flower.” It also bears cultural significance, as it is the birth name of the character Ms. Marvel, a Pakistani-American superhero from New Jersey.

At the DNC, Amara and Leela were not alone in supporting their grandaunt; other family members also appeared onstage to back her candidacy.