Donald Trump has been testing various nicknames to label Kamala Harris in the ongoing presidential race. Among the attempts, he tried “Laffin’ Kamala” and “Lyin’ Kamala,” but none have been as puzzling as “Kamabla.”
The term has left many scratching their heads, as its meaning remains unclear.
During the 2016 campaign, when Trump was battling the Republican establishment in the GOP primary, he coined memorable monikers for his rivals: Jeb Bush became “Low-energy Jeb,” Ted Cruz was dubbed “Lyin’ Ted,” and Marco Rubio was branded “Liddle Marco.”
More recently, in the 2020 election cycle, he referred to Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe.” Trump also took aim at the New York attorney general, referring to Letitia James as “Peekaboo.”
On Monday night, Trump took to Truth Social, posting, “People vote with their STOMACH, and food is now at an all-time high because of Kamabla/Biden INCOMPETENCE. With them in charge, IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE!”
Just ten minutes later, he continued, “Kamabla has stated, over and over again, that she wants to DEFUND THE POLICE AND, WITHOUT QUESTION, BAN FRACKING. ‘NO MORE FOSSIL FUEL.’ This quadruple the cost of energy in America! DEPRESSION ANYONE?”
Trump has persisted in using “Kamabla” and “crazy Kamabla” in his Truth Social posts, yet he hasn’t clarified what he means by it.
When asked about the nickname on CNN, North Dakota governor and former Trump VP contender Doug Burgum sidestepped the question. “I can’t comment on that, but I do know when voters are making a decision, they’re going to vote in many ways with their pocketbook,” he said.
Ohio Senator JD Vance, who eventually became Trump’s running mate, chuckled when asked about the nickname. He admitted he doesn’t know what it means and hasn’t discussed it with Trump, adding that he has no plans to use it.
Interestingly, Trump hasn’t yet employed the name during any rally or public event, leaving people to speculate on how he might pronounce it. Some believe he’s attempting to insert the word “blah” into Kamala’s name, perhaps to paint her as dull or incoherent.
Another theory suggests Trump is combining the names Kamala and Obama. Earlier in the campaign, Trump claimed that former President Barack Obama was secretly in charge of the Biden administration. He’s also been known to say “Obama” when he meant to say “Biden” on multiple occasions.
Trump’s preoccupation with Obama was evident again on Tuesday when he posted on Truth Social, writing, “What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the history of the U.S., whose Presidency was Unconstitutionally STOLEN from him by Kamabla, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Shifty Adam Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and others on the Lunatic Left, CRASHES the Democrat National Convention and tries to take back the Nomination, beginning with challenging me to another DEBATE.”
He went on, “He feels that he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, a COUP, to the people in the World he most hates, and he wants it back, NOW!!!”
There’s also the possibility that “Kamabla” is simply a misspelling that Trump is using to assert dominance. For instance, he referred to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as “Rob” for a period during the primary campaign.
Trump’s use of derogatory nicknames is not new. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi employed a similar tactic against Trump, once referring to him as “what’s-his-name” during a 2021 CNN interview.
Trump has also famously called Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas,” mocking her Native American heritage, and has referred to Mitch McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, as “Coco Chow,” which many have criticized as racist. In a similar vein, Trump has taken aim at his former UN Ambassador and primary rival Nikki Haley, pointing out her birth name, Nimarata Nikki Randhawa, in an attempt to suggest she was concealing her true identity. He frequently misspelled her name as “Nimrada” or “Nimbra.”
Some observers speculate that Trump might be attempting to target Harris’s Indian heritage or possibly trying to shoehorn the word “Black” into her name.
