Harris, whose face gave away her clear discomfort with the comparison, was quick to object to Matthew’s words, simply replying: “ I’m not gonna go with you on that metaphor, Chris.”

This isn’t the first time that Chris Matthews has caused controversy over his word choices: in a 2016 interview with Hillary Clinton, he came under fire for making a joke about slipping Clinton a ‘Bill Cosby pill’ before the interview had even started, during the height of the sexual assault allegations against the former TV star.

He has also faced criticism for another comment he made last week, in which he compared working under a tough campaign leader to slavery.

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris was quick to shut down this TV presenter’s “virginity” metaphor