Vice President Kamala Harris did her first-ever solo interview with the national media at the National Association of Black Journalists ( NABJ) in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The event, hosted at NPR’s Philadelphia station WHYY and moderated by three Black journalists (Eugene Daniels of Politico Playbook, Tonya Mosley of WHYY, and Gerren Keith Gaynor of TheGrio) came just hours after the last presidential debate. The visit was Harris’ 13th to Pennsylvania this year as she remains on the campaign trail, working to turn out voters in a battleground state.
The same month Mr. Trump appeared at an NABJ event himself, only to make his own headlines when he said of VP Harris: “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know. Is she Indian or Black?”
Harris was not given an opportunity to react directly to these comments, but she instead criticized Trump’s language as it applied specifically to Haitian immigrants. Trump was criticized for telling small town rumors migrants “are eating pets” in Ohio.
“It’s harmful, and it’s hateful and grounded in some age-old stuff that we should not have the tolerance for,” Harris said of the rumors being circulated by Trump. “We’ve got to say that you cannot be entrusted with standing behind the seal of the president of the United States of America, engaging in that hateful rhetoric that, as usual, is designed to divide us as a country.”
The discussion also turned to the issue of reparations, where Harris side-stepped on whether she would sign or veto a bill that creates a federal commission to study reparations for the Black community. She also said that she trusts Congress will handle it and added, “Maybe not even need the president to step in.”
As regards the Black vote, Harris stepped away from Biden’s course in 2020. Joe Biden, for instance, had declared, “You ain’t black if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump.” But Harris said she planned to “earn” the Black vote — and in particular, the votes of Black men: “I think it’s very important not to operate from the assumption that Black men are in anybody’s pocket.”
Outside of his comments on race, Cruz seized the opportunity to ask Harris about her position on economic issues, whether she supported a ban on assault weapons, and what agreements in international relations she would abrogate. Harris doubled down on her belief in Israel’s right to self defense, saying “absolutely the United States of America has a role” in helping Israel as it defends itself.
Harris, on gun control, spelled it out, saying she and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have guns themselves. “Nobody’s trying to take away any guns, but we should have an assault weapons ban,” she said.
Asked if she felt safe herself, Harris said, “I have the benefit of a great Secret Service Detail who takes very seriously their responsibility to protect me. There are way too many people in this country right now who do not feel safe. Lawmakers across the country have enacted laws like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” and she said, “Members of the LGBTQ community right now don’t feel safe, immigrants or people with an immigrant background don’t feel safe. Women right now do not feel safe.”
Harris closed by promising to champion the safety of all Americans as long as she is well-protected.
