In 2013, during a fundraiser, former President of the United States Barack Obama made a remark that didn’t sit well with Democrat Kamala Harris.
As Kamala Harris’ campaign drew to a close, signs of support for former United States President Barack Obama multiplied in the final sprint towards Election Day on November 5, 2024. In October, he traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to urge American citizens to vote for her. According to The Washington Post, he does not hesitate to reproach them for “their hesitation to put a ballot in the ballot box in favor of the candidate, suggesting that sexism could be the cause.” The politician turns out to be a valuable ally for the Democratic candidate, considered by the British newspaper, The Guardian, as the “heiress” of her political movement.
This friendship, both diplomatic and personal, has lasted for more than twenty years. According to the television channel CNN and the Washington Post, the two elected officials met for the first time in 2004 duringa fundraiser in California. At that time, Kamala Harris was the official city attorney of San Francisco. As for Barack Obama, he was a congressman in the state of Illinois and was running for the senatorial elections in the United States.
A remark deemed “sexist”
A decade later, at the start of Barack Obama’s second term, on April 14, 2013, a speech by the president sparked reactions on social networks. At a charity gala in the town of Atherton, California, he took the opportunity to compliment his old friend: “Be careful, she is, above all, strong, brilliant and dedicated. That’s exactly the profile sought in the administration of justice and the application of laws, in particular if we want to be certain that everyone receives what they deserve. Then comes the gaffe: “And she’s by far the most beautiful attorney general in the country.” To the laughter of the audience, he added: “I’m right, right?” This joke, thrown into the wind, was considered by many people to be ordinary sexism.
For journalist Garance Franke-Ruta, in The Atlantic, when women receive comments (positive or negative) about their physique in a professional setting, they immediately appear less competent, less efficient and less qualified. It draws on statistics from a project launched by the nonprofits She Should Run and Women’s Media Center. In the March survey, 1,500 American voters found that no matter the compliment, if it concerns the appearance of an elected official, it will always have a negative impact on voters’ opinions.
To stem the controversy, the White House, behind which President Barack Obama is hiding, spoke a few days after the event : “He in no way wanted to minimize the professional accomplishments and abilities of the Attorney General,” said former US spokesperson Jay Carney. “He clearly sees the challenges faced by women in the workplace and knows that they should not be judged by their appearance.”
