Fox’s Will Cain Debates Stephen A. Smith on Kamala Harris — Pushes Back on the Idea That Calling Her a DEI Hire is Racist

Will Cain questioned why some people take offense to others claiming Vice President Kamala Harris is a beneficiary of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

During an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show on Saturday, Cain challenged Smith on the notion that it’s “racist” to say Harris’ career was a product of DEI. To him, that sentiment isn’t consistent with the claims that DEI initiatives are a good thing.

“You know what’s interesting to me? The current idea that she being a DEI beneficiary is somehow racist,” Cain told Smith. “If I come to you and I say, ‘Look, Kamala Harris is a DEI beneficiary politician,’ I don’t know what your response to that is, Stephen A., but I know that many on the left are going, ‘Well, that’s racist.’

“But here’s what I can’t reconcile: DEI was supposed to be — was described as — a good; so why, now, are you assuming that it’s a negative; and Joe Biden himself has said she, by the way, is a great feather in his cap. She’s a great feather in his cap on DEI. That’s what Biden has said.”

Smith argued that the claim is often met with criticism “because of where it’s coming from.” He was likely referencing the belief held by some that DEI initiatives prioritize diversity over merit, leading to unqualified candidates being put in positions they may not deserve.

“In the case of a Harris,” Smith said, “who came from an HBCU, who was a district attorney in the city of San Francisco, a state attorney general in the state of California, the Vice President of the United States of America — what we’re saying is the qualifications on that resume are so expansive at this point in time that DEI shouldn’t even be mentioned.”

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