A Hawaii Republican junior leader says Kamala Harris “would be more effective” in the White House kitchen than in the Oval Office.
Rocklyn Youngstrom, chairwoman of the Hawaii Young Republicans, posted the allegation on her Instagram account on Tuesday. In the post, Youngstrom can be seen uttering the vice president's widely broadcast, embraced and parodied line: “You thought I fell out of a coconut tree?”
Youngstrom shook her head and wagged her finger, then played a short clip of Harris saying in her speech, “What else do we know about this age group, 18 to 24 years old? They're stupid. That's why we put them in dorms and we have dorm assistants.”
A 2020 fact check by Reuters said the decade-old video was being quoted on social media out of context from the topics Harris was originally discussing.
But Youngstrom, 20, said Wednesday he would stand his ground.
“In my opinion, I don't think Kamala Harris is a good candidate to be president,” she said in an interview. “I don't think she represents the majority of 18- to 24-year-olds. I understand that some people may take what I say as misogyny or sexism, but that's just a joke.”
Youngstrom thinks Harris would be a bad president.
Youngstrom's comments come as Republican leaders across the country are warning their members to avoid “blatant racist and sexist attacks” against Harris, who is the leading Democratic presidential nominee now that Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race.
Republican National Committee Chairman Richard Hudson laid out the party's policy during a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, saying they were concerned that racist and sexist attacks “could alienate important swing voting groups, including suburban women, people of color and young people.”
If she defeats Republican candidate Donald Trump, Harris, 59, would become the first woman, black woman and South Asian person to win the White House.
Some Republicans are already calling Harris a “DEI hire,” a pejorative term used by conservatives to refer to programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, The Huffington Post reported Tuesday.
Youngstrom, who worked as a legislative aide for Republican state Rep. Diamond Garcia this year and attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, said he primarily disagrees with Harris's office record.
She pointed to Harris' work in California, where she served as attorney general and San Francisco district attorney.
Youngstrom accused Harris of “incarcerating hundreds of minorities for something as trivial as marijuana possession” and of trying to decriminalize sex work.
“So overall, she's not the best representative for women, and especially for Gen Z,” she said, referring to those born between 1995 and 2010.
Hawaii Republican Party Chairwoman Tamara MacKay described Youngstrom as ambitious and praised her for speaking her mind and exercising her free speech.
“I feel like we need to focus on what's best for the people and what's best for the policy,” MacKay said. “We need to put aside our personalities and focus on the best interest of all the people from the grassroots level onwards.”
But Hawaii State Democratic Party Chairman Derek Tarvin condemned Youngstrom's post and predicted similar attacks would backfire.
“We are seeing incredible, unprecedented passion and energy among the Democratic Party, particularly among younger Democrats,” he said. “We are excited and inspired by it. While we are disappointed with the negative backlash from national and local Republicans, it will only motivate us to support Vice President Harris for president.”
Youngstrom, who launched a GoFundMe appeal to raise funds to travel to Wisconsin for the Republican National Convention, said she grew up in a Christian home as a military kid and was exposed to Republican politics during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. In an interview with a Colorado television news station during the convention, Youngstrom emphasized the importance of women's perspectives in politics.
“At a time when Democrats are trying to push a left-wing agenda that says women are being oppressed and all that, it's crucial that we get involved and have a say in what's going on,” KKTV reported.
Youngstrom is originally from California and currently lives in Mililani, Oahu.
Garcia stressed that Youngstrom “has the right to say what she wants to say,” and said Democrats are “floating in the seams” after a successful convention in which Trump unified the Republican Party and Biden walked away amid widespread concerns about his age and electability.
“Democrats are already lambasting him, with many saying they would rather die than run for office,” Garcia said, arguing that the left is trying to portray Trump as a dictator bent on exacting revenge on his political opponents.
Garcia said what Trump actually means by retaliation is returning the country to economic and military success after four years of the Biden-Harris administration.
Youngstrom believes his party's candidate is better.
“I think people need to go out and vote for Donald J. Trump,” she said.
