Vice President Kamala Harris has candidly shared that her vocabulary has grown more colorful since her inauguration in 2021, incorporating more expletives than before. During a comprehensive interview with Rolling Stone’s Alex Morris, Harris did not shy away from using strong language to emphasize her points on various political and social issues.
In the interview, which spanned several weeks on the campaign trail, Harris’s propensity for cursing came up, particularly highlighted by her speech at the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Legislative Leadership summit. There, she famously stated, “We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won’t, and then you need to kick that f‑‑‑ing door down,” which was met with applause from the audience. She quickly followed up with, “Excuse my language.”
She further elaborated on her comfort with using strong language, “Although, kind of. I don’t know. It’s not a new language to me, and I think when one speaks the language, one should get the pronunciation down. My pronunciation is very good, thank you very much!”
The Vice President also used forceful language to describe her battles with the political establishment.
These instances of candid language have been noted by Morris as part of Harris’s strengths, combining a prosecutor’s foresight, a sensitivity to policy impacts, and a palpable indignation towards adverse outcomes. This blend of qualities, as observed by Morris, underscores Harris’s passionate engagement with her role and the issues at hand.
