Vice President Kamala Harris covered topics ranging from reparations to the border in her high-profile interview with Charlamagne Tha God, whose show is popular with Black listeners, on Tuesday.
The audio town hall in Detroit aired on iHeartRadio with the co-host of the radio show “Breakfast Club” for a full hour, with questions from listeners.
Recent polls have shown Harris losing support among black men, and her appearance was part of an attempt to reverse that trend.
Scripted Talking Points
Right off the bat, Charlamagne commented on people criticizing Harris for sounding “very scripted” in interviews and rallies, which Harris called “discipline.”
“Some people say that you are unable to say without fear who you are and what you believe,” Charlamagne said. “What do you say to people who say you stick to talking points?”
“I'd say, 'You're welcome,'” Harris responded. “I mean, listen, here's the thing. I love having conversations, which is why I'm so happy to be with you this afternoon. And the reality is, there are certain things that need to be repeated to make sure everyone knows what I stand for and the issues that I think are at stake in this election, so it needs to be said again.
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“You know, some people say that until someone has heard the same thing at least three times, it just doesn't stick with you,” Harris continued. “So repetition is important. And for that reason, yes, in my rallies I say the same thing when I go to Detroit as I do in Philadelphia, that wherever I am, to make sure that people hear and receive what I think. are some of the most critical issues at stake in this election.
Marijuana charges
Charlamagne later brought up Harris' record as San Francisco district attorney and called reports about the jailing of thousands of black men on drug charges “disinformation.”
“One of the biggest pieces of misinformation, one of the biggest accusations against him is that he attacked and locked up thousands of black men in San Francisco,” Charlamagne said. “Some say he did it to boost his career. Others say he did it out of pure hatred for black men. Please tell us the facts.”
“It's just not true,” Harris said. “And the public defenders who were there in those days will tell you that I was the most progressive prosecutor in California in marijuana cases and that I would not send people to jail for simple possession of marijuana and, as vice president, I have been a defender of the fight against marijuana.
Although Harris has since supported the decriminalization of marijuana use, as district attorney she oversaw nearly 2,000 convictions on marijuana-related charges.
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Compensation
As the program continued, Harris took questions from callers, including one who asked about her stance on reparations for slavery.
“I'm running to be president of all Americans. That being said, I am clear-eyed about the disparities that exist and the context in which they exist, i.e. history, depending on your point. So, my agenda, well, first of all “As for repairs, it must be studied. There is no doubt about it. And I've been very clear about that position in terms of my immediate plan,” Harris responded.
The border
Charlemagne later pressed Harris about his record on the border, a topic he has brought up several times.
“Doesn't the Biden administration have to take some of the blame for the border? A lot of blame, because, I mean, for the first three years, they got a lot of things wrong about the border,” Charlamagne said.
Harris responded: “No, Charlamagne. Within hours of taking office, we passed the first bill before we did the Inflation Reduction Act, before we did the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, before we did the Safer Communities Act to address gun violence. The first “What we ruled out was a bill to fix the broken immigration system, which, by the way, Trump didn't fix when he was president.”
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The town hall came just days after former President Barack Obama, in comments that went viral, admonished Black voters for their lack of enthusiasm in supporting Harris. Polls indicate that Trump is making gains among black men, who are traditionally some of the Democratic Party's most reliable supporters.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Alexa Moutevelis contributed to this report.
