Kamala Harris uses miniature podium in debate against Donald Trump, Internet finds reason 'hilarious'

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: The Democratic and Republican 2024 nominees, Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump faced off in their first televised presidential debate in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 10.

Hosted by ABC News, while the debate had the voters interested in seeing Trump clash against his new challenger, netizens were caught up with the report of Harris being provided a shorter podium than him for the event.

The information was first shared by an insider source with Axios, and confirmed by ABC News video.

Why were podium sizes different for Trump and Harris?

According to Axios, the height difference between Harris and Trump is one of the largest among presidential nominees in US history.

Trump's doctors have listed him as 6 foot 3, while his New York driver's license states 6 foot 2. Harris shared earlier this year that she is just over 5 foot 4 and "with heels, which I always wear, I'm 5 foot 7 and a half, thank you very much."

As such, the Democratic nominee was wary of appearing small next to her GOP counterpart. The different podium sizes therefore allowed both candidates to appear closer to the same stature on a split television screen during the debate.

The issue is not unheard of, as former Massachusetts Gov Michael Dukakis, 5 foot 9, shared a similar worry appearing against then-Vice President George HW Bush, who was 6 foot 2. A structure similar to the pitcher's mound was reportedly built behind his podium for him to step on.

Republicans mock Kamala Harris

Conservatives on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) mocked Harris for debating Trump from a 'Playskool' podium. The following examples demonstrate the prevalent takes.

"Omg hahah this just keeps getting better and better. Kamala has to sit in the kids corner," wrote a user.

"She also requested a smaller chair backstage for her debate prep against Trump," jibed another, with a meme showing Harris sitting in a toddler's chair.

"They gave her a toy podium. How thoughtful!" quipped a third.

"That’s hilarious. Kids table at TG. Just wait till they hear her speak," chided a fourth.

"She will also receive a miniature amount of votes on November 5," mocked a fifth.

"I love how Joe Biden and Kamala have to use the Playskool version of everything 😂," expressed a sixth.

"So cute. It’s Fisher prices my first debate podium," added another user.

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.