When Barack Obama Was Slammed For His Sexist Comment About Kamala Harris and Had to Apologize

Former president Barack Obama came under fire in 2013 for his alleged 'sexist' remarks towards the then California's attorney general Kamala Harris. According to ABC News, he used the term 'best-looking' to assess Harris' beauty while praising her at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser held in Atherton, California. "You have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you'd want in anybody who is administering the law, and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake. She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country - Kamala Harris is here." 

"It's true! C'mon," he asserted as the crowd deflected the comment with laughter. "And she is a great friend and has just been a great supporter for many, many years. She's brilliant and she's dedicated," Obama further added. However, it instantly backfired among his loyal supporters and the public in general, political strategist James Carville said, “Look, I’m a 68-year-old guy and I do notice honestly the way that women look sometimes, but you’ve got to learn to sort of keep your opinions to yourself,” while appearing on MSNBC’s Jansing & Co.

According to Today, Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine wrote a piece titled Obama in Need of Gender-Sensitivity Training, claiming that it is difficult to achieve gender equality in the workplace since women are still evaluated primarily on their appearance. “It’s not a compliment. And for a president who has become a cultural model for many of his supporters in so many other ways, the example he’s setting here is disgraceful.” Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post, meanwhile, defended the then-president and said, “Lighten up, people, you’d swear the president was guilty of luridly cat-calling a woman he doesn’t know,” he said. Dylan Byers, founding partner of Puck Media tweeted in support saying, "How did it become so difficult to call a woman good-looking in public?"

Actress Liza Minnelli also spoke in support of Obama saying, “He can’t say she’s pretty?” she said. “When this lovely woman gets up in the morning and looks in the mirror and puts on her makeup and does her hair, don’t you think she wants to be attractive and wants to be thought of as attractive? She’s not doing that for no reason.”

After facing negative reactions to his comment, Obama called Harris to apologize, White House spokesman Jay Carney said during a White House press meeting. “The president did speak with Attorney General Harris last night after he came back from his trip, and he called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments. They are old friends and good friends and he did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general's professional accomplishments and her capabilities,” Carney said. At present, however, Democrats are puzzled since Obama failed to endorse Harris as the presidential nominee ever since President Joe Biden stepped down from the race.