Kamala Harris is being roasted on social media after she was seen clapping along to a protest song – before awkwardly realising that they were protesting against her.
The vice president visited Puerto Rico on Friday to highlight the Biden administration’s actions in supporting the island nation’s recovery and renewal efforts.
During the visit, she stopped by the Goyoco community centre in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan.
In video footage from her visit to the community centre, Ms Harris is seen gleefully clapping and smiling as Puerto Rican protesters banged on drums and sang in Spanish.
However, Ms Harris’ cheerful mood came to an abrupt end when her aide appeared to inform her what they were singing about.
“We want to know, Kamala, what did you come here for? We want to know what you think of the colony,” the protestors sang, adding: “Long live Free Palestine and Haiti, too.”
Ms Harris swiftly stopped clapping, lowered her hands and assumed a more serious facial expression as the song continued.
The vice president was roasted for her blunder on social media, with one X user calling her a “clown”.
“Harris may be the dumbest VP in the history of our country,” they added.
“She’s her own parody,” another person wrote.
“This is a new low, even for her. This is also quite an embarrassment and reflects poorly on America,” a third person wrote.
During her visit to San Juan, which was marred by protests, Ms Harris spoke to community leaders and centre staff, according to Fox News.
Before visiting the community centre, Ms Harris visited a residential home outside San Juan that was damaged during Hurricane Maria but has since been outfitted with solar panels and water tanks, through a federal program.
“What we all need to do then is just supply the community and the talent here with the capacity and the resources. And so President Joe Biden and I have been very intentional about what we are doing for the leaders and the people and the families of Puerto Rico. So far, our administration has invested over $140 billion in Puerto Rico,” Ms Harris said during the visit.
Her visit also came amid a push by Democrats to boost their outreach to Latino voters ahead of the 2024 election.
Puerto Ricans living on the island are not eligible to vote in the general election, owing to its status as a US territory rather than a state, although this November, for the first time, they will be able to cast a symbolic ballot.
“Legally, people in Puerto Rico are citizens with no power, with no political power in the federal system,” said Latino Rebels founder, Julio Ricardo Varela, ahead of Ms Harris’ visit.
“Now there’s plenty of people in Puerto Rico who want to become part of the federal system and there’s always a sector that does not want to become a part of it.”