Vice President Kamala Harris was left red-faced during her visit to Puerto Rico on Friday after she was spotted clapping along to a protest song against her before realizing what it meant after an aide translated the lyrics.
The protestors held signs with messages, including “Kamala Harris war criminal” and calling the United States “genocidal” as they sang a protest song against her visit.
Harris could be seen smiling and clapping along to the protest song before abruptly dropping her hands when a staffer explained what was happening.
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Full lyrics per @IstraPacheco
"We want to know, Kamala
What did you come here for?
We want to know, Kamala
We want to see
If you're going to talk about law 60
Or about the Fiscal Control Board
The vicepresident is here
Making history
We want to know
What she thinks of the colony
We will keep playing
The plena of our country
Long live Free Palestine
and Haiti too!"
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (TND) — Vice President Kamala Harris on a visit to Puerto Rico Friday clapped along to a protest anthem opposing her presence on the island.
Harris made the trip in part to tout the federal aid given to Puerto Ricans to remedy the effects of Hurricane Ian. In 2022, she fielded backlash from Republicans over remarks tying the funds to “equity” efforts.
A group of protesters at Friday's event, while pounding on drums, appeared to speculate over the political motivation behind her visit. The group also emphasized two controversies enveloping Puerto Rico.
“We want to know Kamala / what did you come to do?” a translation of a song protesters performed reads. “We want to know Kamala / What is going to happen / If you are going to talk about Law 60 / And the fiscal control board.”
Law 60 is a tax incentive allowing Puerto Rican residents to avoid federal tax on passive income. Though it was intended to bolster the island territory's economy, residents say Law 60 has enhanced gentrification, making it impossible to compete with wealthy buyers for housing.
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“Fiscal control board” refers to Puerto Rico's Financial Oversight and Management Board, a federal entity created to fix the island's financial crisis. The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 the board had sovereign immunity and could not be subject to federal lawsuits despite complaints from journalists seeking documents on its operations.
“The vice president arrived,” the translation continues. “Making history / We want to know / What do you think of the colony? / We will continue playing / The fullness of my country / Long live free Palestine, And also Haiti!”
A clip of the interaction appears to show Harris clapping along to the beat.
Though Puerto Ricans living on the island cannot vote in the November presidential election, Harris's visit coincided with President Joe Biden’s campaign efforts to target U.S. Latinos and Puerto Ricans. Some residents said they viewed the visit as an insult.
“But that is a farce and political theater to Puerto Ricans like me living on the island,” Puerto Rican journalist Susanne Ramírez de Arellano wrote in Bloomberg. “She will find rampant gentrification pushing Puerto Ricans out of their homes and endangering environmentally precious land, a deteriorating infrastructure and a fed-up population.”
More than half of U.S. voters do not approve of Harris’s job performance, according to a poll released this month.