Mike Johnson's 'Small Talk' With Kamala Harris Leaves People Stunned

Speaker Mike Johnson has said he made small talk with Vice President Kamala Harris by asking her if her parents are still alive, causing disbelief and bewilderment online.

Recalling a conversation with Harris at the State of the Union address, Johnson told Sean Hannity in an interview with Fox News: "We talked, for one example, about our parents. I asked her if her parents had been alive, did they survive to see her serving as vice president, and she lamented that they had not." Newsweek has contacted Speaker Johnson's office for comment via email outside of normal working hours.

The clip posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Aaron Rupar, has been viewed more than 500,000 times. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki commented: "I just can't," in apparent disbelief at his line of conversation.

The Context

Johnson, who has been speaker of the House of Representatives since late October 2023, was speaking on Fox News following President Joe Biden's State of the Union address to the House chamber on Thursday, March 7.

Johnson also told Hannity that he lost his father, James Patrick Johnson, three days before he was elected to represent Louisiana's fourth congressional district in 2016.

What We Know

Harris' mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, died in 2009 from colon cancer. She was 70 years old. Her father, Donald Harris, is still alive, but the status of his relationship with his daughter is unknown.

According to a profile put together by the White House, her parents "were active in the civil rights movement, and instilled in her [Harris] a commitment to build strong coalitions that fight for the rights and freedoms of all people."

Views

The clip was posted on X by Aaron Rupar on Thursday evening. X users have responded mostly with bewilderment regarding Johnson's enquiry to Harris, which he described as "small talk."

User Jason Solomon, a podcast host, remarked: "What not to ask on a first date." Tim Lowe responded with: "I find that pets or Oscar nominated movies you'd like to see are less fraught topics than who's dead in your family."

Others pointed out that the vice president's father is still alive, with one user posting under the name Outspoken™ calling his comments "garbage."

Another user, Mela Storm, wrote on X: "I'm so glad he enjoyed his last SOTU as speaker."

Other users didn't take issue with Johnson's choice of conversation topic. X user Cindy Cooper replied: "He recounts a nice exchange, why are you belittling it?"