Vice President Kamala Harris discussed election stakes, economic goals, morning workouts and her love of Special K cereal during her longest solo interview since becoming a Democratic nominee on Tuesday.
The interview , which was led by Howard Stern on SiriusXM and spanned an hour and five minutes, centered around Harris’ motivations as a woman in power.
Stern’s audience is mainly comprised of white, upscale professionals, with males making up 73% of listeners, according to the Howard Stern Radio Network website .
However, Stern’s best connections in radio and business were with women, he said. Despite his belief in the power of collaboration between genders, Stern expressed worry that people will “not vote for a woman [just] because they are a woman.”
Harris disagreed – as the first woman in almost every position she has held, Harris has seen both men and women advocate for her leadership, she said. This support is the reason she is running for president of the United States.
“I literally lose sleep, and have been, over what is at stake in this election,” Harris said. “I mean honestly, I end the day, pretty much every day these days, asking myself ‘What can I do more?’”
The state of the nation’s economy, fundamental rights and perceived inaction regarding border security policy reflect the decisions of her opposing candidate – and former president – Donald Trump, according to Harris.
“I do believe that this is an election that is about strength vs. weakness,” Harris said. “And weakness as projected by someone who puts himself in front of the American people and does not have the strength to stand in defense of their needs, their dreams, their desires.”
Reflecting on her debate with Trump on Sept. 10, Harris expressed contempt about her opponent’s discussion topics and lack of a clear presidential agenda.
“One of those people on stage spent time talking about his personal grievances, about himself, full time, instead of talking about the needs of the American people,” Harris said. “There were moments when I was on that debate stage where I knew what he does at his rallies, but this was a very serious moment to earn [votes].”
Harris covered points that she had delved further into during the presidential debate, such as her role as a prosecutor and discontent on how Trump handled the pandemic, but focused on Stern’s questions around her family, life experiences and emotions around the policy she pushes.
Harris said she plans to have a Republican in her presidential cabinet with a goal of building consensus in government. She believes that this cannot be achieved without a clear variety of perspectives – regarding both gender and political stance.
Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was a biomedical scientist, according to an Instagram post by the vice president. Shyamala Harris came to the U.S. from India at the age of 19.
Harris’ first job involved cleaning pipettes in her mother’s breast cancer laboratory, but she quit because she “didn’t want to do it,” according to Harris.
Watching her mother work long hours to support her family led to a hope of building and sustaining an opportunity economy, Harris said. Harris spent her childhood living above a childcare center, and was taken care of by the nursery’s owner – who she referred to as her second mother.
Harris earned her spending money during college by working the fry station at McDonalds, she said. However, Harris noticed that some of her coworkers used those salaries to solely support their families – a system that she sees as a problem.
“We still got a lot of work to do to make sure that folks can not just get by, but get ahead,” Harris said.
If elected, Harris said she aims to protect people through a system that defends and expands fundamental rights, not through a system that she believes restricts them. The strength of America depends on upholding standards of justice, safety and bodily autonomy, she said.
As a prosecutor, Harris said she had to walk away from a case about a 6-year-old girl who was being abused. Harris knew the girl would not be able to recount to the jury what was happening to her and ultimately lose the case, so she sent the girl home.
“It was one of the most difficult cases I’ve ever handled,” Harris said. “I, to this day, remember exactly when I realized what was going to happen [to the girl when she got home]. To this day, I remember where I was. I remember exactly how I felt.”
Harris said she wants to be a part of a system that not only protects vulnerable people, but gives them the means to support themselves.
“Let’s not throw up our hands, let’s roll up our sleeves,” Harris said. “Because this is our country, and if you love our country, we gotta fight.”
This election is that moment to fight, according to Harris.
Stern ended the interview by re-affirming that Harris has his vote .
