Right-wing political commentator Candace Owens faces backlash over controversial remarks she made about Vice President Kamala Harris in a heated debate with activist and television personality Marc Lamont Hill during a segment on Piers Morgan Uncensored. This comes as she seems to be in a feud with Australia.
According to Atlanta Black Star, the pair clashed over a speech President Barack Obama made, in which he urged Black men to vote for Harris. Owens said both political figures are not accurate representations of “Blackness.”
“It is fundamentally racist,” Owens said on the show, referring to Obama’s remarks. “It is something Black people are right to be upset about it. There’s nothing about Kamala Harris or Barack Obama, if we’re being frank, that is Black. There is something that is very cartoonish about them working to Blackify a politician before they run for office.”
Black people, specifically Black men, have consistently voted Democrat in presidential elections. However, data from a September NAACP report showed that 1 in 4 Black men under 50 supported Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, according to Reuters. Harris recently rolled out a new plan for Black male voters as well as television ads addressing this group.
Shifting voter dynamics
While many have been skeptical of the VP and her record, a new poll from the NAACP indicates that Harris is gaining ground with Black male voters, NPR reported. However, some still will not vote for her for various reasons.
“She’s so bad I might just f**k around and vote for Trump,” rapper Lord Jamar said of Harris during Morgan’s show.
In an Oct. 13 video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, he confirmed on The Art of Dialogue that he is a Trump supporter and plans to vote for him over Harris. He also denounced claims that Trump is a racist.
Diverging perspectives on voting choices
Hill spoke out against Owens and Jamar’s comments about Obama during the segment, stating that he was not forcing Black people to vote for Harris.
“Obama’s not arguing you should vote for Kamala Harris because she’s Black,” he said. “He’s not arguing you should vote for them because you’re Black. In other words, he’s saying you should vote your interests.”
As Blavity reported, Obama made these remarks at a rally in Pittsburgh earlier in October, citing misogyny as one of the reasons Black men would not vote for Harris. However, Jamar said Black people are making better decisions for themselves regarding this presidential election.
“We’re waking up as Black people,” he said during the show. “We’re thinking for ourselves. I don’t see why we’re trying to give this woman a promotion. I don’t feel like she’s the one. I’m sorry.”
“She’s not Black,” he said, echoing a statement Owens also made about the VP.
Owens blocked from entering Australia over past comments
Owens is known for her inflammatory remarks regarding Jewish, Muslim and transgender individuals. Her troubling comments about the Holocaust resulted in her being barred from entering Australia for a planned speaking tour, according to Newsweek.
“From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about [Nazi doctor Josef Mengele] through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” Tony Burke, Australia’s minister of home affairs, said in a statement. “Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else.”
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