'You're A Mature Grown-Up': CNN Host Calls Out Trump Aide For Botching Kamala Harris' Name
Corey Lewandowski, a top Donald Trump aide, has been upbraided by CNN’s Jim Acosta over his mispronunciation of “Kamala.”
On Wednesday’s edition of “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta,” Lewandowski botched Kamala Harris’ name, a habit that Trump and others on the right have also picked up.
Lewandowski pronounced the name “Ka-MA-luh,” with a heavy emphasis on the second syllable, much to the frustration of the show’s host.
“Corey, you’ve been in this business a long time. I think you’re a mature grown-up,” Acosta said. “It’s Kamala Harris. Can you say Kamala? Or you cannot say Kamala? What’s going on there?”
Lewandowski ignored the request and pressed on with his immigration policy talking points.
“All right, well, Corey, I appreciate you coming on,” Acosta said as Lewandowski was still talking. “Maybe we’ll have you back. Thanks for your time.”
Jim Acosta to Corey Lewandowski: "Corey, you've been in this business a long time. I think you're a mature grownup. It's Ka-ma-la Harris. Can you just say Kamala? What's going on there?"
He then ends the interview. pic.twitter.com/EysN0GweDa— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 2, 2024
Harris has been at pains to explain how she pronounces her name, releasing a video during her 2016 Senate run demonstrating how to say it.
The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee has suggested people remember it by thinking “comma-la, like the punctuation mark.”
During the Democratic National Convention, Harris’ two great-nieces, Amara and Leela Ajagu, the daughters of Harris’ niece, Meena Harris, were brought on stage to teach everyone how to pronounce their great-aunt’s first name.
“First you say ‘comma,’ like a comma in a sentence,” Amara said.
“Then you say ‘la,’ like, “la, la, la, la,” Leela sang.
The feisty interview also saw Lewandowski double down on Trump’s denial of defeat for the 2020 election.