Kamala Harris Accidentally Claps to Song Protesting Her Visit

Vice President Kamala Harris found herself accidentally clapping along to a song protesting her visit to Puerto Rico on Friday.

During her whirlwind five-hour visit to the Caribbean island, she stopped by a community center in Santurce, where she heard from the center’s staff about how they were supporting local artists.

Her visit also highlighted the federal aid the U.S. territory has received to support its recovery and renewal efforts following deadly hurricanes, earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Harris initially clapped along to the singing, she soon adopted a somber expression when an aide leaned over to speak with her, presumably to translate the lyrics.

The song took aim at the vice president, the Biden administration, and their policies, with the protesters singing: “We want to know, Kamala, what did you come here for? We want to know what you think of the colony.”

Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for the Biden administration for comment Monday.

X user (formerly Twitter) @upholdreality posted a video of the moment Harris realized what the protesters were singing.

“Kamala Harris mindlessly dances to song protesting her visit to US colony of Puerto Rico, stops clapping once her aide translates it. ‘We want to know, Kamala, what did you come here for? We want to know what you think of the colony,'” the user captioned the video.

At the time of writing, the post had been viewed 8.6 million times.

This wasn’t the only time that people protested Harris’ visit. Hours before the vice president’s arrival, protesters gathered to object to the Caribbean island’s status as a territory and to demand a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

“We find their presence disrespectful,” said Joselyn Velázquez, spokesperson for the protest, according to Metro.

“She is not welcome here,” one protester said.

Harris’ trip included a visit to a house in the town of Canóvanas that was destroyed when Hurricane Maria hit the island in September 2017, killing 2,975 people.

Canóvanas received federal housing funds disbursed by the Biden administration to rebuild homes for about 6,300 families islandwide during the aftermath of the hurricane.

“I see that we are making a difference. There is still a lot of work to do,” Harris said in a speech delivered outside the home which had since been rebuilt with federal funds.

This comes days after U.S. President Joe Biden launched a campaign targeting Latino voters ahead of the November general elections. As Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and not a state, people living on the island can’t vote in presidential elections, even though they’re U.S. citizens. Nonetheless, they are permitted to take part in the presidential primary by political parties.

During a campaign visit to Arizona on March 19, the president said that Latino voters were the reason he defeated Donald Trump in 2020, and he urged them to support him again in this year’s election.

Speaking to voters at a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix, Biden said: “You’re the reason why, in large part, I beat Donald Trump. Let’s beat him again.”

“I need you badly,” he said, adding, “Kamala and I desperately need your help because there are only about six or seven states that are going to determine the outcome of this election. They are toss-up states; this is one of them.”

In Puerto Rico, the Republican primary is set for April 21 and the Democratic primary for April 28. However, residents of the island cannot vote in presidential elections despite being U.S. citizens by birth.