Kamala Harris is all but certain to be the Democratic nominee, and she will face several challenges during the race, including Donald Trump's attacks on her laughter, which could turn against the Republican.
The current vice president has several advantages over her predecessor Joe Biden, including her history of settling disputes in court, but also her age, which now makes Donald Trump the oldest candidate in the race.
However, the officially designated Republican nominee risks returning to attacks already used in the past, such as those targeting his laughter.
Rachel Chagnon, dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Law at UQAM, explained that this strategy could work with the Republican base, because “the stereotype of the woman laughing speaks to conservatives.”
“Historically, laughter in women, especially loud laughter, has been seen as something rude and vulgar, even a sign of mental imbalance,” she told LCN in an interview on Tuesday.
However, these attacks are unlikely to work with all Americans, and could be turned against Trump, as happened in the Montreal municipal elections, when Denis Coderre asked Valerie Plante to stop laughing during a debate.
“There is no evidence that it will go further and that it will not have the opposite effect because that is the case with Coderre in Montreal. Ms. Chagnon recalls that the mockery of the fact that Valérie Plante is a woman who smiles and laughs a lot did not bring good luck to Mr. Coderre.
