Trump Jabs Kamala Harris While Praising Trinidad PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar at Summit

Jamaica Live Regional News – | Mar 7, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump stirred political debate on Saturday, March 7, 2026, after appearing to take a swipe at former Vice President Kamala Harris while speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit.

During remarks welcoming regional leaders, Trump singled out Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, whose first name closely resembles that of Harris.

Trump joked that he liked the name “Kamla,” noting that it sounded similar to “Kamala,” a name he said he had “unfortunately had to pronounce.” He added that he hoped he would not mix the two names up because it would “ruin Kamla’s reputation completely,” before saying he liked “Kamla better” and that “we don’t like Kamala.”

The remark quickly gained attention online, with many interpreting it as a political jab directed at Harris.

Shortly after the moment circulated on social media, Persad-Bissessar reposted the clip on her official account, highlighting Trump’s comment. In the post, she wrote:

“@realDonaldTrump delivers remarks at the Shield of the Americas Summit today. In welcoming leaders, President Trump said that he liked the name ‘Kamla,’ referring to the Hon. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.”

Beyond the viral moment, Persad-Bissessar has played a notable role in the ongoing regional tensions involving Nicolás Maduro and the United States. Her government has taken a stance closely aligned with Washington during the escalating crisis in Venezuela, a position that has strained relations between Port of Spain and Caracas. Venezuela’s government has even declared Persad-Bissessar persona non grata and suspended several energy cooperation agreements with Trinidad and Tobago amid the diplomatic fallout.

At the same time, Persad-Bissessar has publicly maintained that Trinidad and Tobago is not participating in U.S. military operations against Venezuela, emphasizing that her country continues to seek peaceful relations with the Venezuelan people despite the regional tensions.

The Shield of the Americas Summit also highlighted growing U.S. interest in energy cooperation with the Caribbean. Trump extended invitations to leaders from oil-producing CARICOM nations, including Guyana, whose rapidly expanding offshore oil sector has become a major focus for global energy markets.

With geopolitical tensions rising in the region and the United States strengthening ties with Caribbean energy producers, the summit underscored the increasingly strategic role that countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are playing in the Western Hemisphere. Meanwhile, Trump’s off-the-cuff remark about “Kamla and Kamala” ensured that the diplomatic gathering also delivered a moment of political theatre that quickly spread across social media.