As Democrats work to bolster Vice President Kamala Harris' standing among Black male voters who could be decisive in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, the Democratic nominee was peppered with polite but direct questions during a radio town hall hosted by Charlamagne Tha God on Tuesday.
After the comedian and author asked Harris, a former California attorney general and career prosecutor, about allegations that she intentionally jailed Black men for marijuana to boost her career, she called the claims misinformation and defended her work.
“I know exactly how those laws have been used to disproportionately impact certain populations, and specifically Black men,” Harris said, adding that she was “the most progressive prosecutor” in California and noted her proposal to decriminalize marijuana.
Harris also argued that such false claims were part of a systemic effort by the campaign of her Republican rival, former President Trump.
“They are trying to scare people away because they know that otherwise they will have nothing to run away with,” he said.
Harris' hour-long appearance with Charlamagne Tha God is part of a concerted effort by her campaign to stop the erosion of support for the Democratic candidate among black men. Although he will overwhelmingly win their vote, polls show he has less support than President Biden did four years ago among this crucial Democratic electorate.
Former President Obama addressed the slip-up while campaigning for Harris last week in Pittsburgh, saying the lack of energy “seems to be more pronounced among the brothers.”
On Monday, Harris unveiled an “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” that includes providing fully forgivable loans to entrepreneurs; create education, training and mentoring programs aimed at increasing job opportunities, such as teaching for black men; and create a health equity initiative to focus on sickle cell anemia, diabetes and other conditions that disproportionately affect Black men.
His campaign also announced several new efforts to engage this voting bloc, including NFL and NCAA “Black Men Huddle Up” watch parties with celebrities and activists at Black-owned sports bars in cities like Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta. .
Later Tuesday, Harris discussed the danger a second Trump presidency poses to the nation, as well as the importance of voting, during a recorded conversation with rappers Fat Joe and Too Short that aired during the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
“There's a lot of misinformation out there that would suggest to people that their vote doesn't matter, and as far as I'm concerned, you should never allow anyone to silence you,” Harris said. “Because when you vote, you actually have the ability to determine the future of our country.”
In response to Fat Joe raising the impact of misinformation on the election, Harris responded that it is an intentional attempt to depress the vote.
“When you tell people they can't trust the system, what are they likely to do? Not participating,” he said. “And that's why I say never let anyone take you out of your game. That is the first step to never being able to make a difference.”
During Harris' town hall meeting with Charlamagne Tha God, Solomon Kinloch Jr., pastor of Triumph Church in Detroit, asked about the Trump campaign's accusations that she was not involved with the Black church community. Harris responded that such claims are “disinformation.”
Citing the Oakland church she attended as a child and her current pastor at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, Harris said her Republican rival was seeking to “disconnect me from the people I have worked with and who I am.”
And he turned to some of Trump's recent products.
“He sells Bibles or tennis shoes for $60 and tries to play with people as if it will make him understand the black community better,” he said. “Come on”.
Asked about the proposed reparation to African Americans for slavery, the vice president reiterated her previously stated position that “it must be studied. There is no doubt about that. And I have been very clear about that position.”
As a US senator representing California, Harris supported the creation of a federal commission to study the issue.
The Trump campaign seized on the comment.
“Kamala Harris is a radical liberal,” the former president's campaign said in a statement. “A 2020 report from NBC News noted that this “could cost the US government between $10 and $12 trillion.”
After Harris' event with Charlamagne Tha God, he visited Cred Cafe, a small business in Detroit owned by former NBA players Joe and Jamal Crawford. Actor Don Cheadle was among those in attendance.
He noted that early voting begins in Michigan four days after receiving a “Detroit VS Everybody” T-shirt from the brand's founder. He said he felt a “kindred spirit” with Detroit.
Earlier in the day, she noted Trump's harsh criticism of the city over what will happen to the United States if she is elected president, comments she made there last week and reiterated Tuesday while participating in an interview with Bloomberg News in Chicago. .
“Can you imagine going to a city and saying you want those people's votes and belittling the city?” Harris said in disbelief, adding that Trump tends to insult cities that have historically had majority black populations.
