It was a long weekend for Vice President Kamala D. Harris on social media after she posted a holiday tweet that neglected to mention Memorial Day.
“Enjoy your long weekend,” Ms. Harris tweeted Saturday, along with a photo of herself, prompting a deluge of criticism.
Among those commenting was Rep. Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican, who tweeted: “Care to mention WHY we’re having a long weekend, Kamala?”
Care to mention WHY we’re having a long weekend, Kamala? https://t.co/uB6FECtXfW
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 30, 2021
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley tweeted, “Unprofessional and unfit,” while Rep. Madison Cawthorn, North Carolina Republican, said the vice president’s “failure to mention the brave men and women who lost their lives serving to protect our nation was shameful.”
Memorial Day commemorates U.S. personnel who died in performance of their military duties.
“Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember and express our gratitude to the men and women in uniform who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” tweeted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. “It’s NOT just a long weekend.”
On Sunday, Ms. Harris added a tweet that made no mention of the blowback but did take note of Memorial Day.
“Throughout our history our service men and women have risked everything to defend our freedoms and our country,” she said. “As we prepare to honor them on Memorial Day, we remember their service and their sacrifice.”
Her second tweet failed to stem the social-media tide.
“Memorial Day is more than a ‘long weekend,’” tweeted former Georgia Rep. Vernon Jones. “It’s a time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Memorial Day is more than a “long weekend”.
It’s a time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Who’ve given more for this country than @KamalaHarris will ever give during her lifetime.
— Vernon Jones For Governor (@RepVernonJones) May 30, 2021
Others came to Ms. Harris’s defense, including LGBTQ activist Charlotte Clymer, former spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign.
“The Vice President’s ‘long weekend’ tweet doesn’t bother me because I’m a reasonable adult who understands ‘enjoy the long weekend’ is something that even service members and veterans often say to each other at the start of Memorial Day weekend,” she tweeted. “This is ridiculous.”
