Kamala Harris Stresses She Needs to Earn Black Male Votes and Doesn’t ‘Assume’ She Has Them During NABJ-WHYY Panel

“Black men are like any other voting group; you have to earn their votes,” Harris told the panel, co-moderated by Gaynor, Poltico’s Eugene Daniels and NPR’s WHYY’s Tonya Mosley. “So I work to earn my votes. I don’t assume I’m going to get them because I’m black.”

Although a majority of black voters surveyed — 77 percent — plan to select Harris, Pew Research Center — Many headlines are repeating reports that more and more black men are declaring support for former President Donald Trump this election cycle.

Harris also discussed her plans to increase the deduction entrepreneurs can claim when starting a business from $5,000 to $50,000, saying the $5,000 deduction is much too little to help people get their businesses off the bottom.

“Part of my approach is to understand the obstacles that traditionally and currently exist that prevent anyone, including black men, from achieving economic prosperity, and I will tell you that I don’t think that just talking about economic policy focused on reducing unemployment is enough,” Harris continued.

During the interview, Harris also addressed the provision of childcare and lower housing costs.

Policy

She also responded to questions on the Gaza conflict, emphasizing the necessity for a hostage deal as Daniels pressed her on questions on the United States’ role in supplying weapons to Israel. Mosley also asked her whether the United States had the resources to support the Palestinians of their right to self-determination.

“I have been actively participating, for example, in meetings not only with Israeli officials but also with Arab officials to talk about how we can construct a scenario for the day after that in which we participate in ensuring those exact goals that I have outlined, including … that there will be no reoccupation of Gaza,” Harris told Moseley.

Harris also addressed false and racist rumors spread by former President Trump and his vice presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, calling the situation “shameful” and saying those in positions of authority have a responsibility to understand the ability of their words.

“When you have a microphone like that in front of you, you really have to understand on a very deep level how much your words matter,” Harris said. “There’s a deep responsibility that comes with it, which is an extension of … this concept of public trust. You’ve been given a trust to be responsible for how you use your words, and even more so for how you conduct yourself, especially when you’ve been and then you’re trying to become president of the United States of America again.”

In contrast to her extremely aggressive and tense interview with Donald Trump on NABJ in July, Harris ended the interview by thanking NABJ and the reporters for making the conversation possible.

You can watch your entire conversation here.