Trump's 'Kamabla' nickname for Kamala Harris is causing all kinds of confusion

Donald Trump is nothing if not dogged in his determination to coin catchy nicknames for his rivals.

First there was “Crooked Hillary [Clinton]”, then “Sleepy Joe [Biden]”, with multiple variations in between.

Now it is the turn of Kamala Harris to be christened through Trump’s unique brand of schoolyard creativity.

The name “Kambala” began doing the rounds on social media hours after the 59-year-old was officially announced as Biden’s chosen Democratic successor for the US presidency.

But where does the name come from? And why is it proving so confusing?

Where does “Kambala” come from?

Fans and critics alike have seized on the “Kambala” moniker, with the latter decrying it as evidence of Trump’s perceived racist leanings, while the former hail it as a clever quip.

One admirer of the Republican presidential nominee cited it as evidence of his “cryptic intelligence”.

“Kambala is the name of a Serpent (sarpa) mentioned in the thirty-fifth chapter (verses 4-17) of the Ādiparva of the Mahābhārata,” the Twitter/X user wrote.

“Trump is sooooo cryptically intelligent. He pinpoints them down quickly. Remember his Snake poem that he would read at rallies?”

She then quoted a poem, apparently recited on occasion by Trump, about a snake that fatally bit a woman who saved its life.

Elsewhere, others have drawn a connection between the nickname and Harris’s South Asian heritage.

For example, Times Now notes that Kambala is the name of a traditional festival held in the Indian state of Karnataka, and so it could be seen as a sly dig at Harris’s Indian roots.

And many social media users agree:

The issue with all of these theories is that Trump hasn’t actually been calling Harris “Kambala” at all. Rather, he has dubbed her “Kamabla”.

So what's “Kamabla” supposed to mean?

Suffice it to say, Trump’s knowledge of ancient Indian customs and sacred Hindu texts is probably not as thorough as people are giving him credit for.

In fact, “Kamabla” appears to be a riff on Harris’s name so that it includes the word “blah”.

In this case, rather than a racist jibe, it is more likely a nod to the kind of fingers-in-your-ears “blah blah blah, I’m not listening” sentiment favoured by five-year-old kids.

At any rate, it belies the puerile nature of Trump’s self-defence tactics and highlights his preference for personal attacks over policy analysis when it comes to furthering his political cause.

How has Trump weaponised nicknames in the past?

In fact, Trump's use of nicknames has been relatively effective up to this point.

As Andrew Wroe, senior lecturer in American politics at the University of Kent, told Newsweek: "Trump is a master of identifying an opponent's key weakness and capturing it in a pithy and derogatory nickname.

"His putdown of Jeb Bush, frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, as 'Low Energy' Jeb was devastating and helped end his candidacy. Marco Rubio has never really shaken off his 'Little Marco' moniker. And 'Crooked Hillary' to describe his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton was another classic in Trump's nickname locker."

Trump was clearly proud of his "Crooked Hillary" nickname during the 2016 presidential race(Getty Images)

And yet, Wroe continued: "Trump's efforts to land a similar punch on Kamala Harris have so far failed, despite trying many different combinations. 'Kamabla' is almost certainly a wild swing that won't connect. It's just not clear what it means or what weakness he's trying to exploit.

He went on: "It's emblematic of Trump's political problem. He knew Biden's weaknesses, as did the wider electorate, and 'Sleepy Joe' was one of his greatest punches. He wishes Biden was his opponent and is struggling to refocus his campaign on Kamala Harris."

Also speaking to Newsweek, political scientists Thomas Gift noted: "Trump always seemed to have a Midas touch when it came to identifying flaws in his opponents and exploiting them in the most coarse way possible. The fact that most Americans can rattle off Trump's nicknames for his adversaries - from 'Sleepy Joe' to 'Crooked Hillary' - speak to their effectiveness."

He added: "Trump's demeaning language is something that many voters purport not to like, yet it's hard to say they don't pack a punch. At the same time, 'Kamabla' and 'Kamala Crash' don't quite have same ring to them.

"Trump's difficulty in smearing Kamala Harris with a nickname is a lot like his campaign at the moment. It's throwing things at the wall, but nothing seems to be sticking."

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