Kamala Harris says she has no doubt America is ready for a woman president and insists Americans care more about what candidates can do for them than the gender of presidential contenders.
The vice president's statement came during an interview with NBC's Hallie Jackson, who asked him if he thought the country was ready to have a woman in the Oval Office and a woman of color. “Sure,” Harris said. “Absolutely.”
Harris said: “Across our country, an important part of this election is not really turning the page, but closing a chapter that suggests Americans are divided.
“Most of us have more in common than what divides us, and what the American people want for their president is for him to be a president for all Americans,” he said.
Harris was asked why she didn't lean into the historic nature of her candidacy: She is a woman of color running for president.
“I am clearly a woman. I don’t need to tell anyone,” Harris said with a laugh. “What most people really care about is: can you do the job and do you really have a plan to focus on them?”
“That's why I spend most of my time listening to and then addressing the concerns, challenges, dreams, ambitions and aspirations of the American people,” Harris continued, adding that Americans deserve a president who focuses on them. An anti-Donald Trump who always focuses on himself.”
Harris also said she knew Trump could try to overturn the results of the presidential election, noting that her team will “face election night and the days that follow.”
Harris said she would focus on the campaign for the next two weeks, although she noted that “we have the resources, the experience and the focus” on potential threats to the election results. Jackson noted that Trump declared victory in 2020 before all the votes were counted.
Trump has refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, saying the race was rigged and fueling fears of baseless allegations of voter fraud in the 2024 cycle. “This is a man, Donald Trump, who tried to undo an election free and fair, which still denies the will of the people who inspired a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol, and 140 law enforcement officers were assaulted, some killed. “It’s a serious matter,” Harris told Jackson.
Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to block the certification of Joe Biden's victory. That day, four people died at the Capitol and a police officer working during the uprising died several days later; Four other police officers assigned to the building committed suicide on January 6, 2021. According to CBS News.
“The American people, right now, two weeks from now, are making a very, very serious decision about what the future of our country is going to be,” Harris added.
Jackson also asked about voters' concerns about the economy, with many blaming the president for rising prices.
Harris said her policies “will not be a continuation of the Biden administration” and that with inflation, “I bring my own experiences and my own ideas.”
After newsletter promotion
Jackson noted that if Harris wins, her victory could coincide with Republican control of Congress, which would impede nationwide abortion protections.
“What offers are on the table?” -Jackson asked.
“I don't think we should make compromises when we talk about the basic freedom to make decisions about one's body,” Harris said.
Asked if Trump would be pardoned, Harris said, “I'm not going to jump into those assumptions.”
“I'm focused on the next 14 days.”
Harris was pressed on the issue of forgiveness and asked if he thought it would help the country move forward together and close the gap.
“I'll tell you what will help us move forward: I will be elected president of the United States.”
