Vice President Kamala Harris was told to keep her hands to herself Monday during a tour of a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Michigan, where the allure of touching “shiny” silicon almost caused a serious injury.
“Here is, actually, a harvested U-rod,” an employee at Hemlock Semiconductors in Saginaw informed Harris, 60, as she approached a large piece of silicon covered in what appeared to be plastic wrap.
“Can I touch it?” the Democratic nominee asked as her right hand hovered over the metalloid rod.
“Do not touch it,” the factory worker immediately responded.
“Do not,” the vice president noted. “I’m glad I asked.”
“Please do not touch any of the poly,” the hard-hat wearing employee added as Harris approached an enticing plate of silicon crystal chunks, just beyond the U-rod display.
“Those are very sharp,” another man on the tour informed Harris.
“OK … and shiny,” she observed, this time keeping her distance from the display.
Several social media users compared Harris’ behavior on the factory tour to the incompetent and cringeworthy Selina Meyer – the fictional vice president on the hit HBO comedy show “Veep”.
“This is straight out of Veep,” former Republican National Committee communications specialist Steve Guest wrote on X, sharing a clip of Harris on the tour.
The Trump campaign mocked Harris over the incident.
“She’s totally helpless,” the Trump War Room X account posted.
“Like walking around with a 3 year old,” another social media user argued.
Hemlock Semiconductors is the only US-headquartered producer of hyper-pure polysilicon, a key component in semiconductor chips.
The company recently received a $325 million federal grant from the Harris-Biden administration.
The latest RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Harris trailing former President Donald Trump in Michigan by one-tenth of 1%.
There are 15 Electoral College votes up for grabs in the Wolverine State on Election Day.