Kamala Harris and other politicians of color have often had to code-switch, or purposely adjust their speech style and expression to optimize relatability and ensure their message had cultural resonance. To imply, as former President Donald Trump did Wednesday at a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, that Harris and others are inauthentic for doing so speaks to a belief that whiteness is still the default in politics and democracy. Code-switching is far from a new phenomenon. But it is still one of the most effective tools used by politicians of color to wield influence and power in venues where they have historically not had it.
