Vice President Harris spoke to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) audience in Philadelphia on Tuesday, about a month after former President Trump made waves by speaking before the same group and questioning Harris' race.
The event marked Harris' first solo interview with national media. The interview took place on NPR's Philadelphia affiliate WHYY and was moderated by three Black journalists, including Politico Playbook's Eugene Daniels, WHYY's Tonya Moseley and The Grio's Jaren Keith Gaynor. It marked Harris' 13th visit to the Keystone State this year.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris is interviewed by members of the National Association of Black Journalists at the WHYY studios, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
In an interview with the NABJ in Chicago in July, Trump drew strong criticism when he said, “I didn't know she was black until a few years ago, when she became black. And now she wants to be known as black. So, I don't know. Is she Indian or is she black?”
Harris could not be reached for comment on Trump's comments on Tuesday, but she blasted the former president for what the host described as a racist comment about Haitian immigrants eating people's pets in a small Ohio town.
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“This is harmful, hateful and based on ancient ideas that we should not tolerate,” Harris said of the rumors Trump is spreading. “As always, I must say I cannot allow you to stand behind the seal of the President of the United States while spewing hateful rhetoric designed to divide our country.”
Mark Sanders of Springfield, Ohio, talks about the immigration crisis that has devastated his community. (Fox News)
When asked by a moderator whether this “uncontrollable racism” incident merited some federal action to help heal the community, Harris dodged the question.
Harris also declined to say whether she would sign or veto a bill to create a federal commission to look into reparations for black communities, saying she “believes” a federal reparations commission would be taken up by Congress and therefore she would not need to use her powers as president to look into the issue at the federal level.
Harris also spoke about the Black vote on Tuesday, taking a starkly different approach than President Biden in 2020.
“If you can't decide whether to support me or Trump, you're not black,” Biden said while campaigning for the presidency in 2020. But Harris said Tuesday she expects she'll have to “earn” the black vote, particularly the vote of black men. “I think it's really important that we don't operate under the assumption that black men are in somebody's pocket.”
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In addition to the racially-charged topics covered in the interview, Harris also spoke about her economic plan, abortion, support for Israel (she argued that Israel has the right to defend itself) and gun control.
“The United States certainly has a role to play in supporting Israel's right to self-determination,” Harris said in an interview Tuesday.
On gun control, Harris asserted that both she and her running mate, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz, own guns – news voters were informed of during last week's presidential debate. “We're not trying to take away anybody's guns, but we do need to have an assault weapons ban,” Harris said. Previously, as a 2019 presidential candidate, Harris said she thought a mandatory federal gun buyback program was “a good idea.” But her campaign said she no longer supports such a program.
Harris added that she supports universal background checks for anyone seeking to legally acquire a firearm, and after one of the hosts pointed out that the majority of handguns are purchased illegally, Harris noted the need to eliminate the “gun show loophole.”[s]”
“We need to tackle this problem at every doorstep,” Harris argued.
Kamala Harris wants it both ways when it comes to crime. No wonder Americans feel unsafe.
Democratic presidential nominee and vice president-elect Harris addressed members of the National Association of Black Journalists on Sept. 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Reuters/Piroszka van de Wouw)
The hosts then discussed the second assassination attempt on Trump over the weekend, with Harris saying she reached out to Trump after the narrow escape to see how he was doing.
“I'm in this election, in this campaign, for many reasons, including fighting for democracy, which has no place in political violence,” Harris said. “We can and should have healthy debate and discussion and disagreements, but we should not resort to violence to resolve those issues.”
When asked a follow-up question about whether she trusted the Secret Service to protect her, Harris answered in the affirmative.
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“Not everyone has the Secret Service, and there are too many people in this country right now who don't feel safe,” she said. “I mean, I look at Project 2025, I look at the 'Don't Say Gay' law that went into effect in Florida. Members of the LGBTQ community don't feel safe right now, immigrants and people with immigrant backgrounds don't feel safe. Women don't feel safe. So, yes, I feel safe. I have Secret Service protection, but that doesn't change how I feel about the importance of fighting for the safety of all people in this country.”
