Kamala Harris has spoken out in defense of Dr Jill Biden after the future first lady was told to drop the 'Dr' in her name.
The Vice President-elect's comments come after journalist Joseph Epstein argued in an Op-Ed published in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month that - despite Dr. Biden having a doctorate in education from the University of Delaware - she should "drop the doc" as the title "feels fraudulent".
Epstein continued:
"Madame First Lady—Mrs. Biden—Jill—kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the 'Dr.' before your name?
"Dr. Jill Biden sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic. Your degree is, I believe, an Ed.D., a doctor of education, earned at the University of Delaware through a dissertation with the unpromising title 'Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students' Needs'.
"A wise man once said that no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc."
These sentiments were later echoed by Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson, who said that Dr Biden is a doctor "in the same sense" as the popular soft drink Dr Pepper.
Check out what Tucker Carlson had to say here:Carlson stated that Jill Biden is "a doctor of education, which means basically nothing."
"Jill Biden is not a doctor, no. Maybe in the same sense Dr Pepper is," he added. "In 2007, at the age of 55, she got a doctorate in education, so she's got the same degree as Dr Bill Cosby."
Convicted sex offender Bill Cosby received a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1976.
Carlson then accused Dr Biden of having "status anxiety," saying she "decided to cure that, as so many do in our country, with another pointless title".
Now, US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has spoken out in defense of Dr Biden, saying that it is unpatriotic to disrespect her hard work.
Speaking about the issue on Good Morning America, Harris addressed Epstein's article, saying: "I was deeply disappointed that in 2020, that kind of approach would be given any legitimacy."
Harris then told host Robin Roberts in Wednesday's interview: "She worked hard. She raised her kids. She went to night school. She got degrees. She earned everything she has.
"That’s the American way; that’s the American spirit. So, when there’s anyone who tries to diminish the significance of people who work hard, I think it’s just not the American way, frankly."
Watch the full interview here:Harris' comments come after Dr. Biden, 69, took to Twitter to respond to the article in question, albeit indirectly.
She wrote: "Together, we will build a world where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated, rather than diminished."
