Vice President Kamala Harris faced backlash on social media Sunday after delivering a lengthy speech on the "duality to the nature of democracy" at a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
Speaking to supporters in Rochester alongside her running mate Tim Walz, Harris went off-script to discuss democracy's dual nature. She described it as "incredibly strong" yet "incredibly fragile."
"Our election is about understanding the importance of this beautiful country of ours in terms of what we stand for around the globe as a democracy," Harris said. "As a democracy, we know there's a duality to the nature of democracy. On the one hand, incredible strength when it is intact. What it does for its people, to protect and defend their rights. Incredibly strong."
"And incredibly fragile," she continued. "It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. And that's what this campaign is about."
A clip of her remarks quickly circulated online, sparking renewed criticism of Harris for what some have called her "word salads." Republicans seized on the moment, claiming it revealed the true Harris when she strays from the teleprompter.
"They took Kamala off the teleprompter today in Pennsylvania. It didn’t go well," Clay Travis of Outkick.com posted with the clip.
"Kamala is uniquely awful. She’s not smart, charming, or talented," radio host Buck Sexton wrote on X. "The more voters hear her voice, the less they’ll want to support her."
The Hill noted that Harris made a similar comment in October 2022, where she also spoke about the duality of democracy, calling it both extraordinarily strong and extremely fragile.