Riley Gaines got in on the viral conversation surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris’ surprise video addressing supporters that was released on Tuesday.
Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and conservative influencer, was one of many high-profile users to share the video on X with a message mocking Harris for the unprompted and confusing-to-some video address.
“Now do you understand why she didn’t go on Joe Rogan lol,” Gaines wrote in her post re-sharing the video.
Harris not appearing on Rogan’s podcast was pointed to as a key criticism of her campaign strategy both prior to and after her election defeat. President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and billionaire backer Elon Musk all did interviews with Rogan in the weeks leading up to the election.
Gaines, an OutKick contributor, raised the question about whether Harris’ appearance on the show would have been as beneficial to her campaign.
The video, shared by the Democratic Party’s official X account, featured Harris speaking directly to followers discouraged by the recent election.
“I just have to remind you, don’t let anybody take your power from you. You have the same power that you did before Nov. 5, and you have the same purpose that you did. And you have the same ability to engage and inspire. So don’t ever let anybody or any circumstance take your power from you,” Harris said.
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Former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Desert Diamond Arena on Aug. 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Many other social media users on X raised concerns and questions about Harris’ delivery during the unexpected video, with many criticizing the Democratic Party’s decision to post it.
The video reportedly came from a call Harris took with donors and volunteers earlier today, when she addressed her election loss for the first time since conceding to Trump.
Meanwhile, Gaines has used her platform to take aim at multiple figures in the Democratic Party in recent years and especially in the recent election cycle.
Gaines incited a back-and-forth debate with former Harris surrogate and Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban over the vice president’s handling of the border crisis on Sept. 27. It was a debate that ended with Gaines getting the last word on Cuban.
Gaines also got in on a viral roast session of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. on Nov. 14, after it was discovered the congresswoman removed pronouns from her X bio.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, left, and Riley Gaines. (IMAGN)
Gaines previously lambasted Ocasio-Cortez for her stance on trans athletes in women’s sports. The Democratic congresswoman has been a frequent advocate for transgender rights and trans inclusion in women’s sports during her tenure. Ocasio-Cortez recently spoke out against Green Party vice presidential candidate Butch Ware for saying he did not believe trans athletes should play in women’s sports, calling the ticket “predatory.”
“AOC says it’s predatory behavior to not want men competing in women’s sports. To AOC, acknowledging biological reality is ‘predatory’ You know what’s actually predatory? Sexualizing children and normalizing pedophilia,” Gaines wrote on X while posting a Fox News Digital article about Ocasio-Cortez’ comments.
Gaines leads a lawsuit against the NCAA with other female athletes, accusing the governing body of violating their Title IX rights due to its policies on gender identity.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, details the shock Gaines and other swimmers felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Lia Thomas at the 2022 championships in Atlanta. It documents a number of races they swam with Thomas, including the 200-yard final in which Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth but Thomas, not Gaines, was handed the fifth-place trophy.
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Former Rep. Lee Zeldin and athlete Riley Gaines speak outside the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Gaines shared her harrowing recollection of her experience being forced to share a locker room with Thomas at a Trump campaign rally on Oct. 23.
“I could share the grotesque details of what it was like being forced to undress, inches away from a 6-foot-4 man who watched us strip down to nothing, while he did the same, exposing his fully-intact naked male body,” Gaines said. “There are no words to describe the violation and the betrayal, the humiliation that we felt.”
Gaines has been a leading figure in holding Democrats to account for their past stances on enabling trans inclusion in women’s sports. However, she has also taken advantage of plenty of opportunities to make more light-hearted digs against those figures as well during her ascendant rise on social media.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
