Politics and Current
Vice President Harris is ready to take on Trump’s running mate
Vice President Kamala Harris lashed out at her yet-to-be-named Republican vice presidential opponent, making it clear she’s ready to battle it out on the talk stage with whomever and every time Donald Trump chooses his 2024 ballot.
“I plan on being at the CBS studios … either in July or August,” the vp said through the weekend before the talk scheduled for this summer in an interview with Policy Handbook. “And let’s see if the other side shows up. I am ready to present my case to whomever he chooses, no matter who it is.”
While Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has not yet announced his vice presidential pick, he has reportedly begun the formal vetting process. The shortlist included U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-Cal., Republican Byron Donalds, R-Fla., former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, R-Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
While some political analysts imagine Trump will select a running mate who appeals to independent and moderate voters, Vice President Harris appeared to portray Republicans as extremists.
“We know Donald Trump needs an enabler. He doesn’t want a ruling partner. I don’t want another Mike Pence, and I think that’s clear,” the vice president said. “The litmus test is will they be absolutely loyal to Trump as a matter of country or oath of office, or, frankly, to the American people?”
Political commentator Reecie Colbert stated that the vp’s proactive attack on Republicans showed “the energy of a boss.” The host of “The Reecie Colbert Show” on Sirius . “
“One of her proudest moments in the last campaign cycle was her I-say conversation with Mike Pence… it helped her a lot,” he recalled.
Democratic strategist Joel Payne similarly noted that Harris “wiped the floor” with Pence. He noted that the vp had been battle-tested during her political profession and had proven herself as an efficient debater and communicator.
“Every time she was asked to speak publicly back and forth with a Republican, even if we go back to when she was in the Senate, when she was in the Supreme Court hearings, those are the moments where she tended to shine,” Payne explained . “During the Democratic primaries, when she was a presidential candidate herself, she did quite well, including, frankly, scoring a few points for Joe Biden.”
Harris could potentially face a black man since Scott, Donalds and Carson are on Trump’s short list. During her interview with Politico, the vp specifically called out Rep. Donalds, who has been within the highlight recently for arguing that black families were stronger through the Jim Crow era.
“This is unfortunately yet another example of a non-Florida individual trying to erase or rewrite our true history,” Harris said, referring to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ school curriculum that argued that Black people benefited from slavery. “Last July, I went to Florida to ask what they were trying to do to replace our history with lies. And apparently there is an countless stream of what flows from this state.
Colbert noted that the vp behaved “wonderfully” when she traveled to Florida on a whim to deliver a fiery speech condemning Florida’s Black history curriculum. On race issues, she said it was a “losing cause” for Republicans. Even if the Republican Party selected a black vice presidential candidate, Colbert maintained: “The contrast is not just about being a black man and a black woman. The contrast is being knowledgeable and actually being aware of our racist history.”
Ultimately, Colbert stated that she didn’t imagine either GOP vice presidential candidate was “prepared to face” a debate with Harris. “All they have is propaganda, disinformation and towing the Trump line,” she said.
Colbert said of Donalds: “In all the interviews he did about the Jim Crow situation, we saw him break down. “He especially doesn’t have the temperament to go back and forth (with Harris).” Senator Scott, she added, was also devastated through the Republican primary.
“I don’t see anyone as ready and substantively prepared for this level of scrutiny compared to Vice President Harris,” she insisted.
Seawright, a senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), said that as a former prosecutor, Harris “knows how to take a case and close it.” As a history-making Black vp, he said Harris is also uniquely positioned to “speak directly to the needs, fears, concerns, hopes and aspirations of our community, guided by shared values and experiences.”
Payne said Harris “is highly respected” in Black communities not only due to how he represents her as a Black woman, but additionally due to “what he stands for as a senator and vice president.”
“She really put together a pretty clear case of the issues that really matter to African-American voters,” he said. Ultimately, as a Democrat, Payne said, “I’m not worried about Kamala Harris doing well in the debate.”