Why is Kamala Harris silent on Meghan Markle? VP mum on racism claim despite supporting duchess in the past
While multiple celebrities have spoken out in defense of Meghan Markle after she and Prince Harry sat down for a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7, Vice President Kamala Harris is not one of them, despite having extended her support for the Duchess of Sussex in the past,
The controversial and much-anticipated interview had everything that made it gossip-gold - claims of racism against the royal family, Meghan having suicidal thoughts, Prince Harry revealing that he had been financially cut off by Prince Charles last year, the gender reveal of the unborn baby number two of the couple and so much more. Perhaps one of the most shocking revelations during the interview was the fact that a member of the royal family speculated how dark their son Archie's skin color would be before he was born.
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A silent Kamala Harris
The claims made by the pair continue to create headlines across the globe, including the United States. However, the first woman, as well as the first woman of color ever to become the vice president of the country, has stayed uncharacteristically mum about the subject. This is especially unexpected because Harris offered her support in 2019 when Meghan opened up to ITV about dealing with negative press.
"This is incredibly important. We must remember that it’s a sign of strength to show emotion," Harris, who was then a Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 election, said. "Meghan, we are with you." She had also offered support for Meghan in June 2020, praising the Duchess' message about racism. The Democrat said “the only wrong thing to say is nothing," adding, "Thank you, Meghan, for this powerful statement.”
One of the reasons behind Harris's silence could be the fact that she heads the second-highest office on the land and everything she says or endorses could have a direct impact on inter-country relationships and political ties.
White House has issued a statement
While Harris has refrained from personally issuing any statement, the overall stance taken by President Joe Biden's administration regarding the claims made by Meghan and Harry during the interview has been quite clear. On March 9, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to questions from the press regarding whether Biden had watched the interview, and said that it took "courage" to speak about mental health struggles but refused to comment further because they are "private citizens."
Psaki said when asked about the interview, during the daily press briefing, "For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage. And that’s certainly something the president believes," and added that Biden emphasized the importance of investing in mental health. However, Psaki said that the White House would not be commenting on the interview further, saying, "We aren’t going to provide additional commentary from here on behalf of the president or others, given these are private citizens sharing their own story and their own struggles."