Tried to zing

Trump tried to zing Harris with her iconic 2020 line. It didn't work.

By Alec Regimbal

During Tuesday night’s presidential debate in Philadelphia, former President Donald Trump tried to embarrass Vice President Kamala Harris with a line she made famous during the 2020 presidential election: “I’m speaking.”

While Trump was answering a question from ABC debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis, Harris — her mic muted — began to talk.

“Wait a minute, I’m talking now,” Trump said to Harris. “If you don’t mind? Please. Does that sound familiar?”

Trump’s retort was a reference to a viral moment from the 2020 vice presidential debate between Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence. During that Oct. 7 face-off in Salt Lake City, Harris frequently said, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking,” when Pence began to interrupt her.

The phrase became a rallying cry for Democrats, and appeared on T-shirts and other merchandise in the run-up to that year’s election. It’s no surprise that Trump would attempt a call-back to that significant moment when Harris began to interrupt him Tuesday, but coming out of Trump’s mouth, it didn’t have the same impact.

In 2020, women who often felt talked-over or interrupted by men saw Harris’ determination to finish her thought as a symbol of strength. But for Trump — who famously interrupted President Joe Biden when the two debated  in 2020 — to say it, it simply felt petty. It’s also worth noting that recycling lines popularized years before always runs the risk of being cringey.

Trump’s use of the line on Tuesday is also notable in that the man Harris first used it on, Pence, has broken with Trump. The two had a falling out when Trump pressured him to overturn the results of the 2020 election (the vice president has no such power), and supporters of the former president chanted “Hang Mike Pence” during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Pence, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination for president this cycle, has said that he would not endorse Trump for president, telling Fox News earlier this year, “I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration. But that being said, during my presidential campaign, I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues.”