Poor Caitlin Upton. You probably won’t remember her name, but you may well remember the universal mockery she received for her awkward answer during the Miss Teen USA beauty pageant in 2007.
The beautiful blonde, Miss South Carolina USA that year, was caught on the spot without much to say when a judge asked her what she thought about the fact that one fifth of Americans cannot find the United States on a map.
Clearly unprepared, she gave an answer that left many viewers covering their eyes in second-hand embarrassment. Here’s just a sample:
“I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as . . .” The rest of her answer was similarly nonsensical, and it is merciful not to reprint it in full.
But vice presidential candidate and Donald Trump running mate JD Vance reached back into the cultural memory and pulled out Upton’s bad night to make a joke at Kamala Harris’ expense. Writing on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Vance was mocking Harris’ famously awkward and largely content-free answers to reporters’ questions. He reposted Caitlin Upton’s question and answer session from 2007, writing, “I have gotten a hold of” the full CNN interview with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Harris has been facing heat for refusing to sit down for interviews, and for lacking a policy platform on her own web page. Indeed, as of the time of this writing, KamalaHarris.com still has no policy or platform, but it does have an extensive and flattering biography of the candidate with numerous pictures of her in various poses.
Harris finally agreed to a televised interview with Democrat-friendly CNN host Dana Bash, but she insisted on doing it with Tim Walz present.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth on social media from female users who did not appreciate any reminder that women can sometimes make fools of themselves just as men do.
And some men joined in too, like “never-Trumper” George Conway, who sarcastically noted that it looked like JD Vance did not know that more than half of the electorate was female. It is not clear why so many people believe the mockery Vance dished out was somehow more insulting because it targeted a woman.
