Kamala Or Harris? How To Thread The Needle On Politics, Gender And Race

Calling women leaders by their first names is often done to undercut their authority, experts say -- but Harris has reclaimed hers (Credit: AFP)

What's in a name? For Kamala Harris, it's a way to assert her own authority, implicitly celebrate her identity -- and blunt attacks by her White House rival, Donald Trump.

The former Republican president persists in calling Harris by her first name at his rallies -- a contrast to how he referred to the former Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, either as "Biden" or sometimes "Sleepy Joe."