Caveman sexism and "rotten herrings": Russian propaganda's attempts to degrade Kamala Harris

Illustration by the IMI

The Russian authorities heavily prefer the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, in the US presidential election. The aggressor state's media used to direct most of their ire at the Democratic candidate Joseph Biden. However, after his dropping out of the election race and Kamala Harris being nominated the Democrat candidate, pro-Kremlin propagandists had to change their agenda.

Most Russian news about the Kamala Harris smear or downright degrade her. Russia's mass media offer no expert criticism of Harris. Instead, the degrading remarks are mainly gender-based, as the review by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) shows.

"Komsomolskaya Pravda" alleged that Harris has had many lovers, calling her husband "the US cuckold number one." The article explains who helped Kamala's career and why. For instance, writes "Komsomolskaya Pravda", the official was once romantically invloved with Willie Brown, who allegedly gifted her a car.

"Brown promoted Harris and helped her financially. Not only did he gift his lover a new BMW, but, in addition to her main job as a district attorney, he placed her on the state's healthcare commission, with a nice annual bonus of $72,000, and on the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board ($97,088 per year),” reads the article.

In this way, the publication reinforces the gender stereotype that a woman can only grow professionally with the help a male lover or a husband.

Headline: "The personal life of Kamala Harris: rich lovers and the US 'cuckold number one' for a husband". Screenshot from "Komsomolskaya Pravda" by the IMI

In another article in the same publication, a journalist concludes that "in her four years as vice president, Harris did not accomplish anything to remember her by, except for weird laughter and incoherent statements."

Sometimes, the Russian media even use vile social media comments aligned with their agenda and reinforcing its messages to degrade the US presidential candidate.

"How many cocks did she ride to get this position?" reads a social media comment reprinted by "Moskvosky Komsomolets".

To further substantiate the narratives they push, the Russian state media invite loyalist experts who will hold the right stance and promote the expected messages. For example, "Komsomolskaya Pravda" quotes Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of World Economy and International Relations. The expert essentially claims that Harris has "low-level intellect." Of course, the "expert" does not cite any evidence that would support this assessment.

The infamous billionaire and active Trumpist, Elon Musk, also has also spoken out about Harris, calling the official a "corporate puppet."

Headline: "Musk gives scathing remarks on Kamala Harris". Screenshot from RIA Novosti by the IMI

The Russian media also paint the hypothetical consequences of Kamala Harris' victory as bleakly as possible. For instance, the Russian senator Alexei Pushkov believes that Harris has caused a split within the Democratic party. His words were quoted by RIA Novosti.

Headline: "'It's happening': Pushkov says Harris has caused an internal split in the US". Screenshot from RIA Novosti by the IMI

"Moskovsky Komsomolets", in their turn, cites the independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., who has claimed on social media that such an election situation would lead to a revolution in the US.

Furthermore, this media outlet quotes former US military intelligence officer Jack Posobiec, who has said in an interview with Tucker Carlson that the current US vice president, Kamala Harris, could lead the country into war with Russia or China if she became president.

In the meantime, the Republican presidential candidate gets a more positive framing in the Russian state media. At least compared to Harris. The Russian media portray Trump as the most reasonable and smart candidate, and some articles almost paint him as a messiah.

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, Pavel Podlesny, the head of the Center for Russian-American Relations of the the Russian Academy of Sciences' USA and Canada Institute, says that Trump currently enjoys a heroic image:

"Although the assassination attempt on Trump happened long before the election, he will still retain in the image of a hero politician whose adversaries wanted to deprive him not just of the opportunity to get out, but also of life itself."

In the case of Harris, the Russian media used a classic propaganda tactic called the "rotten herring". The method is explained by the media outlet "Law and Business" and involves promoting a false allegation or a mischaracterisation. What matters is that these allegations are as dirty and scandalous as possible, degrading their object. The goal is not to prove or disprove anything, but to provoke a heated discussion.

As soon as the allegation becomes the focus of public discussion, it inevitably attracts supporters and opponents, specialists and experts. And all the participants in the discussion, regardless of their views, repeatedly mention the victim in the context of a dirty and scandalous allegation. Thus, a "rotten herring" is attached to the image of the psyop's object until ultimately the smell follows them everywhere.

However, with such an image of a US presidential candidate, the Russian media once again showcased their obsolete worldview. They have reverted to blatant sexism and personal insults instead of evaluating a person as a professional. It is evident that these narratives are targeted exclusively at audiences within Russia.