A CNN panel went off the rails on Thursday after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., repeatedly mispronounced Vice President Kamala Harris’ name.
A panel discussion veered off course when Mace adamantly mispronounced Harris’ name, despite her fellow panel members — Democratic strategist Keith Boykin and Vanderbilt University professor Michael Eric Dyson — politely correcting her.
It started off with Boykin’s simple correction: “You had it right. You almost got it.”
But before others could chime in, Mace made her position clear — “I will say Kamala’s name any way that I want to.”
Others on the panel chimed in, protesting the congresswoman’s slight against the Democratic presidential nominee. Mace doubled down when Dyson commented on the mispronunciation and replied, “I just did and I’ll do it again.”
Boykin and Dyson both sought to rationalize with Mace as host Abby Phillip tried to regain control of the panel.
“If I purposely mispronounced your name, that would probably not be appropriate,” Boykin tried to explain, before Dyson added, “You’re normalizing that kind of viciousness, man. You’re disrespecting the woman.”
Mace disregarded the whole ordeal and the conversation seemed to move on before Dyson called her out again.
“This congresswoman is a wonderful human being,” said Dyson. “But when you disrespect Kamala Harris by saying you will call her whatever you want, I know you don’t intend it to be that way, that’s the history and legacy of white disregard for the humanity of Black people.”
However, the South Carolina representative made it crystal clear that reasoning with her was an exercise in futility. “Oh, so now you’re calling me a racist. That is B.S. That is complete B.S,” Mace quickly concurred and went onto express her disgust.
“What is disgusting is your disrespect of her,” Dyson snapped back. Meanwhile, the panel tirelessly yelled back, “Kamala! Kamala!” before Boykin added “It’s Kamala! You’re doing this on purpose, congresswoman!”