 "In the video that was posted to X, Harris, who was wearing professional attire but appeared to be exhausted, gave a reassuring speech to supporters who were disappointed by the election's outcome. Image Courtesy: @TheDemocrats/X")
Unfounded rumours about US Vice President Kamala Harris’s ‘drinking problem’ are running wild again.
This comes after Harris addressed her supporters for the first time since her defeat in the recent US presidential election against Republican Donald Trump .
Harris looked low and subdued in a video posted by the Democratic Party, which was quite the opposite of her usually cheery demeanour.
The veep was soon criticised by Republicans and her critics, who claimed that she looked like “a functioning alcoholic.”
Here’s all we know about the fresh controversy.
The video
In the video that was posted to X, Harris, who was wearing professional attire but appeared to be exhausted, gave a reassuring speech to supporters who were disappointed by the election’s outcome .
“I just have to remind you, don’t let anybody take your power from you. You have the same power that you did before November 5, and you have the same purpose that you did. And you have the same ability to engage and inspire. So don’t ever let anybody or any circumstances take your power from you,” Harris added in her first speech after her Howard University concession speech.
The 28-second video is reportedly part of Harris’s longer speech, which she gave on Tuesday during a video conference call to thank supporters of her failed bid on November 5.
‘Functioning alcoholic’
Republicans and Harris critics have responded strongly to the video, quickly raising the question of whether she was intoxicated.
Actor Kevin Sorbo asked, “Have you been drinking?” while another user stated, “Ooof she looks rough. Couple too many drinks?”
A netizen commented, “Kamala Harris appears to be a functioning alcoholic who almost became President of America. Meanwhile, America is about to give another $24,000,000,000 to a barely functioning Cocaine Addict who’s in charge of Ukraine. Absolute clown world.”
North Carolina US House of Representatives member Virginia Foxx said, “The dial-up modem sound played on an infinite loop is more bearable than 28 seconds of whatever this is.”
“I’d read a 5,000-word article on how this got approved for release,” a Trump aide commented on social media.
Dan McLaughlin, a writer for the National Review, said, “No video like this would ever have been released by a politician who is not hated by her staff.”
Fox News contributor Joe Concha remarked, “I’m not sure you guys want to be amplifying this. There’s something, ummm, off with the vice president.”
Not the first time
Harris has faced such baseless accusations before as well.
In the run-up to the presidential elections, the Donald Trump campaign attacked Harris, alleging that his Democratic rival has a “drinking problem.”
They shared a video featuring Harris in Pennsylvania and her three 30-second repetitions of the term “democracy.”
She continues, “As a democracy, we know there’s a duality to the nature of democracy. On the one hand, it has incredible strength when it is intact. What it does for its people to protect and defend their rights, their liberty, and their freedom, incredibly strong and incredibly fragile.”
James Blair, a Trump campaign member, appeared to be the source of the unverified assertion that Harris was drunk in a post.
“A lot of rumours out there about Kamala having a serious drinking problem… apparently coming into focus as campaign heats up,” he wrote.
A video from Maryland’s Prince George’s County went viral in August where she introduced President Joe Biden and talked about plans to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. Some people labelled her as an alcoholic, pointing to such appearances as proof of her alleged alcoholism.
In several instances, some compared her speech patterns to “vodka Pelosi.”
Some misleading reports surfaced in 2020, claiming that Harris was spotted stumbling and vomiting following Thanksgiving in 2019.
US Presidential election
Donald Trump defeated Harris, who received 226 electoral college votes, for a total of 295 votes.
The 78-year-old will take the oath of office on January 20, 2025, as the 47th President of the United States. Harris’s vice presidential successor will be JD Vance.
Over the past three weeks, the President-elect has been coordinating the transfer of power with the Biden administration.
Trump has picked his Cabinet and a flurry of other high-ranking administration position following his victory. He has also vowed to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all products from Canada, Mexico, and China.
He has also pledged to use the US military to help deport millions of undocumented migrants, a plan that breaks from American tradition against deploying troops domestically.
With inputs from agencies