Throughout her career, Cardi B has faced criticism for engaging in political conversations, but the musician has always maintained that regardless of her platform and fame, she shares the same concerns about the country as any other citizen. Now, Kamala Harris’s push to secure the Democratic nomination has emboldened the rapper to speak out again.
The vice president has been the subject of a wave of misogynistic criticism since the launch of her 2024 presidential campaign. In a recent Spaces session on X, Cardi took aim at people who target Harris’ gender. “I’ve always known how people act when it comes to women, but what about the disrespect? Listen, if you don’t like her as a politician, that’s you. But if you don’t respect her because she’s a woman? That’s so disgusting,” she said.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president. She has since proven to be a fundraising powerhouse, raking in more than $125 million in donations in less than a week. The numbers have been impressive, and online conversations have been galvanizing support for Harris with whatever memes are necessary.
The rapper reminded the audience listening to her show “Spaces” that Harris “only has 70 or 80 days to change people’s perception of her.” Indeed, the vice president has been criticized for her past relationships (dating back decades, before her marriage to second husband Douglas Emhoff) and for not having biological children, despite helping raise her adopted children, Cole and Ella Emhoff.
“The way you disrespect her makes me love her,” she explained, noting that women can often be their harshest critics. “It’s crazy because four or five days ago, I was like, ‘I’m not a feminist. I was like, a lot of these women are your worst enemy… But then my nature was like, ‘Oh my God, maybe I’m a feminist,’” the rapper added.
Cardi also noted that this type of gender-based criticism is not only outdated — and as low as it gets — but also just plain ridiculous. “Men are always blaming your success on her vagina. People are blaming your success on her vagina,” she said, referring to unfounded conspiracy theories that she had affairs with Biden and other lawmakers. “I hate that narrative because I feel like women work harder than men.”
In her latest book rolling stone In the cover story, Cardi expressed that she would step back from engaging in politics at any level. She stated that she would not vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump, rejecting the “lesser of two evils” narrative that requires citizens to turn a blind eye to political pitfalls. “It’s like you don’t care about anybody,” she said. “And then I’m really upset that there’s a solution to this problem. There is a solution. I know there is a solution because you’re spending billions of dollars on whatever.”
In an interview with rolling stone In an article published last month, Harris spoke about the ways in which a lack of representation has affected the current state of American politics.
“The truth is that representation matters. In order to empower people to make decisions that directly affect their lives, [it matters] “They understand how this is going to impact people’s lives. Especially when we’re talking about matters of the home and the heart, I like to think,” she said. “Because on some level, we all have to agree: These people sitting in a state capital, what right do they have to walk into your home and assume that they’re in a better position than you to know what’s best for you? Oh my God. The chutzpah!”
