Kamala Harris has dismissed her earlier criticism of Joe Biden as ‘a distraction’, using her first interview together to bury the brunch publicly and move on from the controversial debates over Democratic candidates.
Harris attacked Biden memorably because he was against pushing students to schools with white majorities, saying to him, ‘That little girl was me.’
She talked to him about his health care plan, stressing to him why it took so long to end his support for the Hyde Amendment – which halted federal funding for abortion.
However, she said on Sunday evening that a focus on her previous agreements was irrelevant.
California Senator Kamala Harris kicked off her earlier criticism of Joe Biden
Biden, 77, said he felt the focus on her rivalry was part of the ongoing sexism in politics
“I believe in Joe Biden, I believe in his perspective, and I honestly think that conversation is a distraction from what we need to achieve at the moment and what we need to do,” said David Muir and Robin Roberts of ABC.
‘We are looking at a situation where tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died in recent months, where millions, tens of thousands of millions of people have become unemployed, and Joe Biden has not only a plan, but a deep, deep-rooted commitment. to care for people.
‘And there are so many of the priorities he has that are shared priorities between us based on our collective life work.
‘And we certainly have one thing in common in these elections, in addition to all the policies, that is: Donald Trump should not be president of the United States. And that’s why I’m right. ‘
Biden, asked about those previous agreements, replied, ‘I have no regrets.’
He said the focus on his and Harris’ policy clashes was sexism.
“I think there is an inherently greater burden on women seeking the presidency than on men,” he said.
“I think there’s an inherent sexism that just permeates our politics.”
Speaking about economic policy, Biden said he would raise taxes for those earning more than $ 400,000, but ‘no new taxes’ above that.
The Delaware political veteran said the Republican narrative about him planning to impose new taxes was wrong.
He said 90 per cent of the companies were ‘Mom and Pop companies’ employing less than 50 people, and promised to help them.
Asked about Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on his mental health, Biden, 77, laughed.
‘Look at me. Min. President, stop me, ‘he said.
‘Look at both of us – what we do, what we say. Come on.
‘I think it’s a legitimate question to ask anyone over 70. But what I say is: look at me. ‘
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sat down with ABC News for a joint interview that aired on Sunday
He also said he had no intention of being a one-time president, even though there are claims he intends to run as a ‘transition candidate’.
When host David Muir was asked if he had only one plan to serve one term, Biden replied, “No.”
‘You leave open the possibility that you will serve eight years if you are elected?’ Muir asked Biden, who was officially nominated as part of the event last week, to appear on the Democratic ticket.
“Absolutely,” said the former vice president.
And he said he was deeply concerned about Trump’s non-committal responses when it comes to respecting the election result.
Asked what he would do if Trump refused to leave the White House, Biden said he did not think it would get in there.
“The American people are not letting that happen,” he said. “No one will let that happen.”
He said: ‘I will represent everyone whether they voted for me or not. That’s what presidents need to do. I will reach people. ‘
He said he wanted ‘the country’ and ‘unite the country’.
He promised to bring his political opponents into the debate, to seek solutions to America’s problems.
At COVID-19, Biden was fiercely critical of Trump for not “listening to science” to save lives amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden said Trump was guilty of ‘going away and not dealing with the solutions’ for COVID-19.
He said he did not blame Trump for the pandemic, but blamed him for responding by suggesting drinking bleach and resisting face orders.
‘This is not about freedom. It is a patriotic responsibility to protect your neighbors, ‘he said.
“We can not move this country until we defeat the virus.”
Biden, 77, was animated when asked about the shortcomings of Donald Trump as president
Harris, 55, dismissed questions about her previous attacks on Biden during the primary debates
Asked if he would shut down the country again, if scientists recommended it, he replied: ‘I would shut it down. I would listen to science. ‘
Biden said he had “pleaded” with the president for a “plan”.
He said: ‘There needs to be someone in charge of spreading the vaccine. It’s about a plan. How? ‘
Biden said he was convinced he could win the election without campaigning like Trump did, with massive rallies.
Biden pointed out that people – like former presidential candidate Herman Cain – have died after attending Trump’s rallies.
“It’s about being responsible,” he said.
In an ABC News / Ipsos poll conducted Aug. 11-12, Biden had taken 40 percent favor and in the same poll Aug. 21-22 – after the first-ever fully virtual Democratic National Convention – his approval rating jumped to 45 percent.
Also before the convention, Biden had a net negative rating of negative favoritism, which means more people got away from him than approved, a stat that is now flipped.
By comparison in the 2016 ABC News / Washington Post poll, then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton jumped 6 percentage points from before the convention to.
Clinton’s favoritism rating came in at 48 percent, but her rating for unfavorability still stood at 50 percent.
One of Biden’s most passionate moments was when asked about Trump’s description of the neo-Nazi Charleston Protestants as ‘very good people’ on both sides.
“No president has ever said that,” he said with a flash of anger.
Harris, 55, was asked about her attack on Biden during the debates, in a fierce series on racism.
Biden and Harris clashed several times during the primary debates in the summer of 2019
‘What hurts me is that black families have one-tenth of the wealth of white families,’ she said.
She said it was ‘hurtful’ that systemic inequality existed.
She said Biden had been a great vice president, and was her role model for how she does the work.
She dismissed the question of her rivalry from the previous debate stage as irrelevant, saying she was now focused on winning the election.
‘In terms of the bond that Joe and I have about the issues that play out in these elections, based on our personal experiences, and that one of probably the deepest and most important, that’s human dignity. and their right to health care, and it should not be a function of how much money they have, ‘she said.
‘Joe Biden and I are completely in tune with the goal. Make sure everyone has health care. We went through both of them, on a personal level.
Harris said she did not propose eliminating private health insurance.
Biden added: ‘I do not think we agree on the basic question of what we as a nation should do.’
Harris was asked about Biden’s much-criticized reaction from May that African-American Trump voters are ‘not black’.
Biden acknowledged Sunday night: “I should not have said that.”
Harris said: ‘Joe and I talk about, and honestly we’ve talked over the years, but in connection with this race over the state of black America, he has a deep sense of awareness and knowledge about racial differences, inequality and systematic racism.
‘And Joe speaks the words and actually knows how to say the words “Black Lives Matter”. Contrary to what the President of the United States, the current President of the United States, is doing to sow full-time hatred and division, these words have never been spoken and the words “Black Lives Matter” will never be spoken.
‘In this election, I have no question that selecting Joe Biden as President of the United States, for the first time in the last four years, means having a President who takes over the issue of systemic racism. and does something about it. ‘
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