Did Kamala Harris joke about killing Donald Trump? Critics say she did
A 2018 video of Kamala Harris joking about being stuck in an elevator with Donald Trump has gone viral after a second assassination attempt on him.
A video clip of VP Kamala Harris from April 2018 has resurfaced online following a “second assassination” attempt targeting former US President Donald Trump at his golf club.
The video, which features Harris making a comment during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is being widely shared across social media platforms, with some users misinterpreting her remarks as a joke about Trump’s death.
Did Harris really joke about killing Trump?
During the interview, Ellen asked Harris, “If you had to be stuck in an elevator with either President Trump, Mike Pence, or Jeff Sessions, who would it be?” In response, Harris quipped, “Does one of us have to come out alive?” and then laughed.
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While the comment did not directly reference Trump’s assassination or death, some netizens have chosen to interpret it in that context. However, this has not stopped the clip from going viral once again.
In October 2020, the Trump War Room account on X (formerly Twitter) and Fox News host Sean Hannity highlighted the clip, suggesting that Harris was joking about killing Trump. “WATCH: Kamala Harris jokes about killing President Trump and Vice President Pence,” War Room account wrote.
Then again, in 2021, conservative commentator Matt Margolis called for “Can we impeach her?” Most recently, popular podcaster Benny Johnson reposted the clip, writing, “Kamala Harris openly joked about assassinating President Trump in 2018 as an audience of lobotomized clapping seals cheered. And you're wondering how we ended up here?”
Many online commentators have argued that this clip should be used against Harris
Over the years, Harris has consistently condemned violence against her political opponents. On September 15, after reports of gunshots being fired at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, she wrote on X, “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
She made similar remarks following another assassination attempt in July 2024 in Pennsylvania, saying, “Doug and I are relieved that he is not seriously injured. We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting.”
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She added that “violence such as this has no place in our nation” and urged the public to condemn such acts.
“Assassination attempts have no place in our nation, or anywhere,” she wrote in another X post.
Following the second assassination attempt, Trump posted on Truth Social, “The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joe’s, then Kamala’s, Political Opponent, ME, has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust.”