Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz released a YouTube video on Thursday in which they talked about food, music, and their hopes for America’s future if she defeats convicted Donald Trump in November’s presidential election. But parts of Harris and Waltz’s conversation have been denounced as racist against white people by some of Trump’s most bizarre supporters online. Specifically, Waltz joked about his dislike of spicy food, infuriating those on the right.
A full 10-minute YouTube video compiled into a short clip about X’s tacos seems pretty innocuous.
Waltz: I eat white man tacos.
Harris: What do you mean? Like mayonnaise and tuna? What do you do?
Waltz: Ground beef and cheese…
Harris: No problem. Do you want to add any flavor?
Waltz: Hmm, no.
Harris: Yeah.
Waltz: Well, here’s the thing. Well, I was told to be careful and let her know that in Minnesota, black pepper is the hottest level.
See, I don’t really like spice. pic.twitter.com/u9yadJBMh2
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 15, 2024
But if you were following the utter panic among Trump supporters on Friday, you’ll know that this wasn’t just an innocuous moment with a man from Minnesota poking fun at his intolerance to spicy food. It was something far more sinister.
Far-right influencer Ben Shapiro quote-tweeted the video, saying:Look, guys, it’s funny when white people don’t like Spice! It’s not racist at all! It’s just funny!” Shapiro continued: “(Fact check: Europeans loved spices so much that they literally got into hundreds of years of war to gain control of the spice trade.)“
Guys, it’s funny that white people don’t like spice! It’s not racist at all! It’s just funny!
(Fact check: Europeans loved spices so much that they literally got into hundreds of years of war to seize control of the spice trade.) https://t.co/97FfVoiavx
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 16, 2024
Hateful anti-transgender bigot Matt Walsh also got in on the action, hilariously claiming this was a terrible racist moment for the Harris campaign.
“It’s crazy that no one cares when a presidential candidate casually makes blatant racist remarks about white people,” Walsh wrote on Friday. “Imagine if Donald Trump said ‘black tacos’ are made with fried chicken and watermelon. Nuclear meltdown.”
It’s crazy that no one cares when a presidential candidate casually makes blatant racist remarks. Imagine if Donald Trump said “black tacos” are made with fried chicken and watermelon. Nuclear meltdown. https://t.co/wIhu7xQ06A
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 16, 2024
Even if a white person is just making fun of themselves or their tolerance for food, people like Walsh and Shapiro are ready to cry “racism” as if it proves some larger point. But it’s no surprise that Trump supporters try to make everything into so-called racism against white people. Remember when J.D. Vance, the vice presidential candidate who never had sex with a couch, said at a recent rally that he might be accused of being a racist for liking Diet Mountain Dew? It’s still not clear what he meant.
But the funniest twist in Friday’s cries of “racism” may have been the Hot Dish Truthers: After Waltz said he didn’t use many spices in his tacos, the silliest online sleuths began digging up his old recipes to prove he actually does use seasonings.
Dustin Grage describes himself in X asMinnesota Republican Party spokesman” challenged Waltz’s turkey taco hot dish recipe. For those who have never lived in the upper Midwest, the term “hot dish” typically refers to a baked casserole containing meat, a starch such as rice or pasta, a canned vegetable mix, and/or something like cream of mushroom soup. Hot dishes are not known for being spicy at all.
“Tim Waltz’s Turkey Taco Hot Dish recipe. And yes, he lies about the spices too,” Greige wrote on Friday. The recipe screenshot includes ingredients like “mild green chili” and “chili powder,” which is supposed to be conclusive evidence that Waltz has a thing for spicy food. In fact, they’re not spicy, as anyone with the ability to rub two brain cells together can attest.
Tim Waltz’s Turkey Taco Hot Dish Recipe.
Yes, he lied about the spice too. https://t.co/tbnzZMtbsn pic.twitter.com/mU2545CE3K
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) August 16, 2024
Far-right conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich attempted to make a similar claim by digging up Waltz’s 2016 recipe, claiming that “it’s a lie from Waltz that Minnesotans don’t season their food.” The top comment on Cernovich’s tweet points out the obvious: “Mild green chilies and onion powder don’t destroy the spirit of his skit.”
Wow. That’s what I thought instinctively. Hmm, maybe Tim Waltz is right that Minnesotans don’t season their food.
He won the recipe contest in 2016. pic.twitter.com/O4NtmcK9UP
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) August 16, 2024
The confusion wasn’t limited to social media. Fox News officials were also extremely upset. Fox & FriendsWill Cain was infuriated that Harris was claiming some kind of right to make tasty tacos.
“So she’s blaming him for the tacos?” Mr. Cain said. “What is she?”
But there were plenty of regular people poking fun at the Trumpworld outrage. Comedian Andy Richter joked about the furore on Blue Sky, writing, “Even I, a white person, can make a white person taco joke. If I do, it will be a painful reminder of almost four weeks of oppression.”
One of the reasons why Trump supporters are so obsessed with Waltz and his tacos right now is because they don’t have any other message that resonates with voters. Trump’s policies are based on anger and hatred, and every rally and press conference focuses on a pessimistic outlook. In contrast, Harris and Waltz focus on optimism and a shared hope for the future. This is probably why Harris has been soaring since Joe Biden dropped out of the Democratic race, with major polls showing her overtaking Trump in key battleground states.
In fact, Ms. Harris is currently up 2.6 points nationally in the FiveThirtyEight polling average, ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where conventions typically give each party a big temporary boost that didn’t happen for Mr. Trump after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
With 81 days until Election Day, no one knows who will win, but Harris and Waltz are leading in most national polls, and the Trump campaign is trying to hurl every nasty tactic at the opposition to see that neo-fascist motherfucker back in power. And at a point where they’re debating the “racism” of white people joking about their mild tacos, it’s clear they have nothing else going for them.
