Donald Trump is always good at changing the conversation, sometimes without even trying. For example, outside of famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, the public normally doesn’t care much about the heights of presidents. But seeing Trump loom over his opponents made the average person far likelier to notice exactly how tall presidents and presidential contenders really are.
One person who felt the effects of this is Kamala Harris, the former Vice President who unexpectedly became a presidential contender after Joe Biden declined running for a second term. This put more eyes and cameras on Harris than ever, and on several occasions, her height had the world talking.
Just how tall is Kamala Harris, and how did her height make headlines? Keep reading to discover the answers!
How tall is Kamala Harris?
Before we go any further, we need to answer the big question: just how tall is Kamala Harris? As captured on TikTok, Katie Couric once asked the VP this same question. Harris responded by saying, “I am 5’4″ and a quarter…and with heels, which I always wear, I’m 5’7″ and a half, thank you very much.”
Her answer is revealing in many ways. For example, she understands how important height is when it comes to projecting strength and confidence, which is why she always wears heels. It’s obviously not comfortable to walk on heels all the time, but in this case, Harris is willing to experience a bit of pain in exchange for the power and respect that comes from being a few inches taller.
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Height differences electrify the presidential debate
Remember when we noted that it was Donald Trump that made most modern audiences suddenly care about presidents’ heights? Well, the public fascination with height hit a high gear during the one and only presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, partly because, at 6”3, Trump was nearly a full foot taller than his opponent. It didn’t help that Trump himself mentioned the difference, writing on X that “No boxes or artificial lifts will be allowed to stand on during my upcoming debate with Comrade Kamala Harris […] It would be a form of cheating, and the Democrats cheat enough.”
Perhaps as a response to this, Harris showed up wearing flats instead of the heels she always prefers. Nonetheless, ABC tried to accommodate the height difference by giving her a small podium. Trump himself didn’t comment on this, but many of his followers made angry posts online about how the network was trying to make Harris appear taller than she really is. Meanwhile, others debated (so to speak) whether height really matters when it comes to the leader of the free world.
Kamala’s “chair”-raising request
As far as we can tell, Kamala Harris didn’t request the smaller podium at the debate…that was simply the network’s idea. Nonetheless, she did start making a special request ahead of interviews: a higher chair to sit in. This was a request that she reportedly didn’t start making until after she and running mate Tim Walz were interviewed by CNN.
It was bad enough that Harris was notably much smaller than Trump, but she also looked tiny next to Walz. As Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes wrote in their book, Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House, “[She] did not look like a candidate seeking the highest office in the land…The whole scene reinforced the criticism that the vice president was either incapable, or afraid, of answering tough questions on her own.” Requesting the higher chair for future interviews might seem silly, but this was ultimately just Harris’ way of controlling the narrative regarding her height.
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A taller personality makes all the difference
Kamala Harris has historically been upfront about her love of high heels and how much taller they make her appear. Despite her transparency, the heels often fool people into thinking she is taller than 5”4. During the height of the 2024 election season, social media was filled with countless posts from those who were surprised to discover how short the VP really was. From her numerous media appearances, they simply assumed she was taller than she really is…and, in case it needs to be said, full points to Harris for making walking in high heels look so effortlessly easy.
However, we’d argue that it was more than high heels making people believe that Kamala Harris is taller than she actually is. It’s also her outsized personality: she always projects strength and confidence and has done so in various roles including District Attorney of San Francisco and Vice President. Simply put, she looks strong and confident, so we naturally assume she is a very tall woman.
The same thing happens with your favorite celebs like Tom Cruise, one of the shortest kings in Hollywood. He and Harris have that in common: when the cameras are rolling, plenty of confidence and charisma are often enough to make you seem tall to everyone watching!