Vice President Kamala Harris had an embarrassing fumble during a Friday visit to Puerto Rico, where she was spotted clapping along to a protest song against her before an aide translated the lyrics.
After delivering remarks in the territory’s capital of San Juan, Harris stopped by the neighborhood of Santurce to tour the Goyoco community center and hear from community leaders, Fox News reports.
A group of protesters holding signs with messages, including “Kamala Harris war criminal,” and calling the United States “genocidal” met the vice president outside of the community center, along with a band playing music.
Video captured the hilarious moment when Harris went from smiling and clapping along to dropping her hands when a staffer next to her reportedly translated the Spanish lyrics.
Kamala Harris mindlessly dances to song protesting her visit to US colony of Puerto Rico, stops clapping once her aide translates it.
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) March 23, 2024
🎵 "We want to know, Kamala, what did you come here for? We want to know what you think of the colony." pic.twitter.com/lkko4hCnW3
“We want to know, Kamala, what did you come here for? We want to know what you think of the colony,” an activist sang, accompanied by percussion instruments.
The song also included the lyrics “Long live Free Palestine and Haiti too,” according to Puerto Rican journalist Istra Pacheco.
After Harris seemed to realize what the song was about, she nodded and folded her hands in front of her.
The vice president’s visit marked her first trip to the Caribbean island since entering office.
Before heading over to Santurce, Harris visited a home outside San Juan that had been rebuilt through a federal program following damage sustained during Hurricane Maria, Fox News reported.
Accompanied by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman, and Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, Harris touted the Biden administration’s aid to the territory.
“What we all need to do then is just supply the community and the talent here with the capacity and the resources. And so, President Joe Biden and I have been very intentional about what we are doing for the leaders and the people and the families of Puerto Rico,” she said. “So far, our administration has invested over $140 billion in Puerto Rico.”
