Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump explains what ‘Kamabla’ taunt actually means – and it fails to land

Trump has also called the vice president ‘Lyin’ Kamala’ and ‘Laffin’ Kamala’

Katie Hawkinson
Tuesday 10 September 2024 22:03 BST
Comments
Related video: Donald Trump struggles to find insulting nickname for Kamala Harris

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump revealed the reason behind his nickname for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump, who has inexplicably referred to his opponent as “Kamabla” in recent weeks, has finally explained his thinking behind the nickname in an interview with New York Magazine.

“Just a … mixed-up … pile of words,” Trump told the magazine. “Like she is.”

“She is, she is, well, you have to see it to really understand,” he continued, saying the nickname works better in writing as his explanation fell flat. New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi, who interviewed the former president, even noted she was “confused” as he explained the nickname.

Trump has indeed used the nickname often on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“People vote with their STOMACH, and food is now at an all time high because of Kamabla/Biden INCOMPETENCE,” the former president wrote last month on Truth Social.

Donald Trump has finally explained the meaning behind his nickname for the vice president, ‘Kamabla’
Donald Trump has finally explained the meaning behind his nickname for the vice president, ‘Kamabla’ (Getty Images)

“Kamabla has stated, over and over again, that she wants to DEFUND THE POLICE AND, WITHOUT QUESTION, BAN FRACKING,” he added.

His own campaign has explained the nickname previously, telling The Intelligencer that “Kamabla represents all the hurt and misery the Biden-Harris administration has brought to every single American.”

However, this previous definition did not provide much explanation for the “b” inserted into the vice president’s name.

His running mate, JD Vance, had also been elusive about the moniker.

“I think the president, obviously, he loves to give people nicknames and I think that he’s going to keep on doing that,” Vance has previously said. “I would be shocked if it’s the last nickname he gives her before the end of the election.”

While this isn’t Trump’s only nickname for Harris, it may well be the most confusing. He’s also branded Harris as “Lyin’ Kamala” and “Laffin’ Kamala” throughout her seven-week-long campaign for president.

Trump’s explanation of “Kamabla” came ahead of his first debate against Harris, scheduled for Tuesday night.

Going into the debate, Harris has a 2.8-point lead over Trump, according to the latest average of national polls, collated by FiveThirtyEight. On average, Harris has been marginally ahead of Trump in national polls.

The face-off has high stakes for both candidates, The Independent previously reported. Harris is tasked with keeping alive the spike in enthusiasm among Democrats since Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Trump, in turn, needs to stop that momentum in its tracks and make up lost ground.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in