Vice President Kamala Harris gave an interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle on Thursday, but one answer caught the eye online.
Harris repeated the word “holistic” three times in just 23 seconds to emphasize increasing available housing.
“Some of the work, for example, will be what we do in terms of providing benefits and assistance to state and local governments with respect to money for public transportation,” she answered first.
“…and we look holistically at the connection between that and housing, and we look holistically at the incentives that we as the federal government can create for local and state governments to actually plan holistically, prioritizing affordable housing for working people,” Harris explained to Ruhle.
The extensive emphasis on the word “holistic” left viewers wondering what Harris was talking about, while critics on social media reacted fiercely to her latest verbiage.
Kamala Harris talks to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle about the economy
Trump’s campaign team capitalized on the moment and edited the video for their followers.
It appears Kamala just learned the word “holistic,” the report said.
Others made the same comment.
“Kamala learned the word holistic, guys. Uses it three times in less than 30 seconds. Smart people don’t talk like that,” conservative radio host Clay Travis wrote on social media.
“People who pretend to be intelligent do that,” he continued.
“Kamala learned a new word… ‘holistic’. Watch her proudly use it three times in 15 seconds,” wrote comedian Tim Young.
“Today’s new word on Kamala’s word salad buffet: ‘Holistic,’” noted Mike Davis of the Article 3 Project.
An analysis of Harris’ transcripts shows the vice president occasionally used the word in prepared speeches.
But she’s increasingly using it during her presidential campaign, as she details how she plans to solve problems.
Harris also referenced the word “holistic” during her conversation with the National Association of Black Journalists earlier this month.
Kamala Harris Talks the Economy to MSNBC
Kamala Harris Interviewed by National Association of Black Journalists
“The trauma that exists in communities because of the violence that comes from losing their children, losing a brother, losing a father, losing an uncle — all of that needs to be addressed and we need to have a holistic response to it,” she said, when asked how she planned to address gun violence.
She continued: “It’s about understanding what we need to do to, again, understand that, to come back to your point, we need to have a holistic approach to this problem and prioritize it, rather than reacting to the tragedy which, unfortunately, is too predictable.”
Throughout her career as vice president, Harris has had moments in interviews where she has struggled to explain herself, sometimes dodging the question and focusing instead on defining the problem.