Vice President Kamala Harris revealed in an interview that she would continue to rely on Venn diagrams if elected president.
Harris admitted that she has an “obsession” with the visual aid of Venn diagrams to podcaster Brené Brown.
Oddly enough, she brought up the elementary school-level tool when asked to explain her leadership style.
“My experience is that the vast majority have more in common than what divides us,” she said. “So Gen-Z and others have this whole meme about me and dare I say my love for Venn diagrams. I love, I love Venn diagrams.”
She revealed that Venn diagrams helped her understand the nature of conflict and how to resolve it.
“When faced with conflict, pull out a Venn diagram,” she told Brown.
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally
Brown agreed.
“Ain’t anyone over 40 who doesn’t love a Venn diagram, y’all. Get used to it. We love a Venn,” she said.
Harris revealed that she used a Venn diagram to help her niece organize her social and class schedule at college, which had “eleven circles.”
“Honey, we’re going to pull out a Venn diagram,” she recalled, revealing how the pair worked together to solve the problem.
The power of a Venn diagram, Harris explained, helped her realize where different circles aligned.
“We’re going to figure out where the intersection is and then let’s figure out where you fit into that,” she said.
Kamala Harris shows a Venn diagram to make a point about leadership
Kamala Harris and her niece Meena Harris
Kamala Harris talked about Venn diagrams with leadership coach Brene Brown
Harris explained that part of her thinking was about the power of “bringing seemingly different people together.”
“It’s so exciting to see the silos breaking down and everyone walking out a little bigger,” she said.
Harris has ridiculed critics for her reliance on Venn diagrams when addressing audiences, sometimes even pulling a finger on them to demonstrate how they work.
“Think of the movement through the lens of something I love, which is always thinking about complex issues through the framework of a Venn diagram. I like Venn diagrams. I do. I like Venn diagrams,” Harris said during a 2023 conversation about climate change. ‘So the three circles – and you can do more! No one says a Venn diagram only has to consist of three circles, right?’
In July 2022, Harris explained that she had her staff create a Venn diagram for her to show that several states are restricting abortion and also implementing election integrity reforms.
“I asked my team and said, ‘You know, make a Venn diagram on two topics in particular for me,’” she said of a conversation with her staff.
Harris said she asked for the overlap of states that “attack the freedom to vote and women’s freedoms over their own bodies.”
“There are 10 states that do both,” she said.
At an October 2022 event in New Mexico, Harris actually brought a Venn digram on stage and held it up to make a point during a conversation.
“I told you I brought props,” she said, laughing. “Let me tell you: I love Venn diagrams. I love Venn diagrams – you know, the three circles. I love Venn di- — you’re just going crazy, aren’t you?’
She used the diagram to point out that activists on abortion, voting rights and gay rights could unite in their fight against states that threaten their rights.
“Here’s what that Venn diagram also tells us: a great, great reminder of the power of coalition building,” she added.