Kamala Harris refusing to let Mike Pence talk over her is going viral

'Mister vice president, I'm speaking'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

'Mister vice president, I'm speaking'

Kamala Harris is Joe Biden's running mate for the 2020 US Presidential election, making history as she becomes the first Black and South Asian American woman to run on a major political party's presidential ticket.

'I've decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021,' Joe Biden announced after making his selection, something that proved popular online.

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Since her appointment, Kamala's popularity has only surged, with her refusal to let Mike Pence speak over her at a recent debate going viral.

The Vice-Presidential debates took place this week, seeing Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence go head to head to outline their plans.

While Kamala was answering a question, Mike Pence spoke over her to which she immediately shut him down with the response: ‘Mister Vice President, I’m speaking.’

This unsurprisingly went viral, with Twitter praising the candidate for standing up for women everywhere who are too often interrupted.

‘Men really be too comfortable with talking over women so that “I’m speaking” was so epic,’ tweeted one viewer, while another posted: When Kamala said “IM SPEAKING” every single woman felt THAT’.

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‘Mr Vice President I’m speaking! If you don’t mind letting me finish, we can have a conversation!!! - signed by women everywhere,’ tweeted another.

And it's not just the viewers who have been impressed with Kamala. The Senator also has a huge fan in Michelle Obama who took to Instagram recently to pay tribute to the VP candidate.

A photo posted by on

‘You get used to it, even as a little girl — opening the newspaper, turning on the TV, and hardly ever seeing anyone who looks like you,’ she wrote in her post. ‘You train yourself to not get your hopes up. And sometimes it’s a battle just to keep telling yourself that you might deserve more. Because no matter how much you prepare, no matter what grades you get or even how high you rise at work, it always feels like someone is waiting to tell you that you’re not qualified. That you’re not smart enough. That you’re too loud or too bossy. That there’s just something about you…you’re just not quite the right fit.

‘Change can be slow and frustrating, but signs of progress are all around us. This week Senator @KamalaHarris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, became the first Black woman and first Asian-American woman on a major party’s presidential ticket. I’ve been thinking about all those girls growing up today who will be able to take it for granted that someone who looks like them can grow up to lead a nation like ours. Because @KamalaHarris may be the first, but she won’t be the last.

‘I am here for it all. Let us embrace and celebrate this moment. Go get ‘em girl.’

You go, Kamala!

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.