Vice President Kamala Harris faced renewed scrutiny this week following a series of verbal missteps, culminating in a comment about lowering population to improve environmental conditions. During a speech at Coppin State University in Baltimore on Friday, Harris stated, "When we invest in clean energy and electric vehicles and reduce population, more of our children can breathe clean air and drink clean water." The Vice President's office later clarified that she intended to say "pollution," and the official transcript was amended to reflect this. This incident followed closely on the heels of two other instances where Harris's phrasing drew criticism. On Wednesday, during a discussion about artificial intelligence, she described AI as "kind of a fancy thing… two letters… about machine learning." A day prior, she faced mockery for seemingly simplistic comments about transportation, stating that it's "fundamentally about… making sure that people have the ability to get where they need to go."

Harris's speech at Coppin State University focused on the Inflation Reduction Act. Her remarks about reducing population, while quickly corrected, sparked further debate about her communication style.

The Vice President's attempt to explain artificial intelligence to labor and civil rights leaders was also met with some confusion. Her description of AI as a "fancy thing" and her subsequent explanation of machine learning were seen by some as oversimplified and lacking clarity.

These recent verbal stumbles add to a growing list of gaffes that have punctuated Harris's time in office. While her office has often attributed these instances to misspeaking, they have nonetheless provided fodder for critics and raised questions about her ability to effectively communicate complex policy issues.