Trump says Kamala Harris had the 'best opening' of 2020 Democrats

(Image credit: Al Drago/Getty Images)

published 1 February 2019

He may not know how to pronounce her name, but President Trump is able to appreciate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and her ability to draw a crowd.

During an interview Thursday with The New York Times, Trump discussed the Democrats who have announced they are running for president in 2020, saying they have "really drifted far left." He was quick to say something nice about Harris, though, even if he did incorrectly pronounce her name as "Kameela." She has had "the best opening so far," Trump said. "I would say in terms of the opening act, I would say, would be her. A better crowd, better crowd, better enthusiasm."

When Harris held her official campaign kickoff in Oakland over the weekend, an estimated 20,000 people came to the event. Trump's goodwill extended only to Harris, as he went on to call Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) "very flat" with no "credibility" and said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is "doing a tremendous disservice to the country" by not giving him a penny for his long-promised border wall.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.