Wondering how Vice President Kamala Harris’ inappropriate laughter at a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Thursday might have been received by the Ukrainian people?
After watching a video of the exchange, a former spokeswoman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a Twitter post, “It would be a tragedy if this woman won the presidency.”
Iuliia Mendel, who represented Zelenskyy for two years, quickly deleted the tweet amid a left-wing backlash, but a screenshot of the post has gone viral.
A reporter, noting that Poland’s humanitarian resources were being overwhelmed by the sheer number of people fleeing the war-torn country, had asked the vice president whether the U.S. was willing to accept Ukrainian refugees. She followed with a second question for Duda to answer. The expectation, it appeared, was that Harris would reply first.
An awkward moment ensued, which prompted Harris to laugh.
“OK,” she said, laughing. “A friend in need is a friend indeed,” the vice president added, laughing harder. Duda came to the rescue and spoke first.
Mendel had responded to the following post by conservative commentator Benny Johnson:
Only Kamala Harris would find it appropriate to laugh when talking about the topic of Ukrainian Refugees.
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 10, 2022
Several Twitter users posted screenshots of Mendel’s now-deleted tweet, which she explained by saying, “It’s not about their administration at all. It’s about my people.”
Former Zelenskyy spokesperson @IuliiaMendel said in a now-deleted tweet that a Kamala Harris presidency would be a "tragedy."
Harris had an awkward exchange with the Polish president when figuring out who would answer questions on Ukrainian refugees first. pic.twitter.com/ReHAAhbq9C
— Sebastian Hughes (@ooghes) March 10, 2022
At a time when Ukraine needs America more than ever, the optics of Mendel’s punch at the vice president weren’t great. After all, it’s always best not to upset the regime in charge when they’re supplying your country with javelins.
But Mendel’s reaction was quite understandable. She was just expressing the obvious — Kamala Harris, who is a heartbeat away from the presidency, is unfit for the job, and her cackling was an unseemly reaction to a question about suffering refugees.
Discussing refugees is no laughing matter. Why she laughs at this is deranged.
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) March 10, 2022
Nothing about any of this is funny. https://t.co/2AFDgQFTLo
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) March 10, 2022
This episode is only the latest instance of the vice president’s inappropriate behavior on the world stage. Another memorable occasion came during an August news conference following President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The New York Post described her response to a reporter’s question like this:
“‘Hold on, hold on — slow down, everybody!’ Harris said, before letting out her now-notorious laugh, shaking her shoulders as she chuckled. … The VP finally controlled herself to insist that the Biden administration ‘couldn’t have a higher priority right now’ than Afghanistan.”
How has she not trained that laugh away yet?
— Kyle Franklin (@chiefkylefrank) August 22, 2021
Nearly every public appearance she makes ends with a viral soundbite that showcases Harris’ inability to think on her feet.
While she is the second-highest-ranking U.S. public official, she more resembles a giggling adolescent.
As the world watches the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, the vice president of the United States is laughing out loud.
She wasn’t prepared to answer the reporter’s question, although she should have been. It was topical and relevant. She had traveled to Poland to show U.S. support for the Ukrainian people.
A chuckle at the awkwardness of the moment would have been excusable, but laughing out loud during a news conference about the worst humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II was in incredibly bad taste.
One would think the U.S. couldn’t do much worse than the buffoon who currently resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But the thought of a potential President Kamala Harris makes one wonder.