Kamala Harris Mocked for 3-Word Response, Ignoring Hamas Ceasefire Question

Vice President Kamala Harris is facing mockery on social media after ignoring a question about Hamas announcing that it has accepted terms for a ceasefire with Israel.

Hamas announced in a statement on Monday that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the militant group's political wing, had informed senior Qatari and Egyptian officials of "approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement" after months of negotiations.

Reporters asked Harris about the announcement while she was exiting a Detroit restaurant with her lunch on Monday. The vice president, seemingly under the impression that the press was curious about her order, preemptively said, "shrimp and grits."

Conservative commentators on X, formerly Twitter, quickly shared clips of the moment while erroneously claiming that Harris was responding to the ceasefire announcement, ignoring that the question had not been completed when Harris started speaking.

"Ever wonder what the Vice President of the free world thinks about the Hamas ceasefire? HARRIS: 'Shrimp and grits!'" posted Dinesh D'Souza, the conservative filmmaker behind the 2020 election conspiracy theory film 2000 Mules.

"OUT TO LUNCH: Kamala Asked About Hamas Ceasefire, Shares What She Had for Lunch Instead [WATCH]," the account of Fox News host Sean Hannity posted while sharing a link to Hannity's website.

"Asked for her thoughts about the ceasefire in the Middle East, Kamala responds: 'Shrimp and grits!!!" posted Ian Miles Cheong, a Malaysian right-wing social media personality who frequently chimes in on American politics.

"These [sic] administration is not serious," @ImMeme0 posted. "There is a war going on, people are dying in the Middle East, our colleges are fool [sic] of protesters and Harris' only answer is 'Shrimp and grits.' These [sic] is the person Democrats want you to vote for in November. Disgusting!"

"REPORTER: 'Madam Vice President, Hamas says it accepted a ceasefire deal. Your reaction?' HARRIS: 'Shrimp and grits!' The White House is a freaking clown show," posted Nick Sorter, a conservative independent journalist.

In response to Newsweek's request for comment, a spokesperson for Harris pointed out that the vice president later told reporters the following regarding the ceasefire announcement on Monday: "This morning I was on the call between the president and Prime Minister Netanyahu. We are closely tracking what is happening on the ground."

The vice president's office also indicated that Harris had been previously asked by reporters what she was ordering in the restaurant and did not hear the question on the Hamas ceasefire report.

The announcement by Hamas did not stop the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from moving forward with a planned offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah only hours later.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement that "Israel's war cabinet has unanimously decided that Israel will continue the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas," while adding in remarks to Newsweek that "the Hamas proposal is far from Israel's necessary requirements" but would still be reviewed with an eye to "reaching an agreement."

Hamas says that the ceasefire terms that it has agreed to are based on a proposal that was drafted by Qatar and Egypt, nations that have been mediating peace talks with Israel following almost seven months of war that began with the surprise October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The initial Hamas attack resulted in around 1,200 deaths in Israel, while Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza has killed over 34,000, according to Associated Press reports based on figures from local health officials.

Update 5/6/24, 8:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from the office of Vice President Kamala Harris and additional context.