‘GoAuto Guy’ Apologizes for Comments Made About VP-Elect Kamala Harris

Many of you know Greg Tramontin as the "GoAuto Guy" from the television commercials. Well, he got into a bit of hot water recently over comments he made on Facebook, which included a derogatory term used to describe Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Last night, Tramontin apologized for the comment.

The issue stemmed from a Facebook comment from Tramontin when he described President-elect Joe Biden and Harris as "...power hungry Joe and the hoe!" The controversial term "Joe and the Hoe" has unfortunately appeared in multiple places over the last several months, including campaign signs and t-shirts.

Tramontin issued the following apology on Wednesday night (Nov. 11):

Last week I was involved in a Facebook discussion about the 2020 presidential election and I posted something in jest about Vice-President elect Kamala Harris that was obviously inappropriate. But now I ask myself, why? Why did I think, for even a second, that this was something to express?

 

I have to be honest that I was caught up in the deep political divide and the toxic rhetoric that this country has been living in for the past several years. My words were hurtful. I sincerely apologize. This is my wakeup call.

The comments didn't go over well with many members of the community. Eugene Collins, president of the Baton Rouge chapter of the NAACP, was troubled by the post and spoke to WAFB about it.

“It is extremely troubling that in 2020, we still have to have this conversation,” Collins said. “If you can refer to the vice president-elect of the United States in that way, imagine what he says about just everyday folks, so that comes to mind. It represents the things that have been said by some white men in this country over time about Black women for a number of years.”

Tramontin is president and CEO of GoAuto, which sells insurance in Louisiana, Nevada, and Ohio. The company is one of the ten largest writers of auto insurance in the Louisiana market. The company wrote more than $163 million in auto insurance in the state in 2019.