Vice President Harris dropped an f-bomb as she gave advice to young Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people Monday, prompting applause from her audience.
“We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won’t, and then you need to kick that f‑‑‑ing door down,” Harris said at the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Legislative Leadership summit.
“Excuse my language,” Harris added amid cheers.
Actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang, who was moderating the conversation with the vice president, quipped that “we gotta make T-shirts with that saying.”
The expletive came after Yang asked Harris to reflect on her experience as the first Black American and South Asian American vice president of the U.S. and how her heritage has informed her views and role as a leader.
“Here’s the thing about breaking barriers. Breaking barriers does not mean you start on one side of the barrier and you end up on the other side. There’s breaking involved, and when you break things you get cut. And you may bleed. And it is worth it every time,” Harris said.
The vice president’s appearance at the leadership summit comes as the Biden administration celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. President Biden and Harris are also set to deliver remarks at a White House reception honoring the month Tuesday evening.
The Biden-Harris reelection campaign last week launched a $14 million ad campaign for May, aimed at reaching Black, Latino, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander voters, roughly six months out from election day.