NBC’s Melvin Asks Harris If She’ll Be Dropped From 2024 Ticket

During an unusually tough exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris aired on NBC’s TodayCraig Melvin asked the VP whether she would be removed from the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket on his Thursday morning show. A visibly upset Harris bristled that she didn’t want to respond to “the punditry and the gossip.”

“Are we going to see the same Democratic ticket in 2024?,”Melvin mumbled a vague question. Harris moaned after a while. “I’m sorry, we are thinking about today. I mean, honestly, I know why you’re asking the question because this is part of the punditry and the gossip around places like Washington, D.C.” She continued: “We’re focused on what we need to do to address issues like affordable child care, what we need to do to ensure that – ”

 

 

Melvin cut her off “So there’ll be no conversations about 2024?”Harris was interviewed: “The American people sent us here to do a job. And right now there’s a lot of work to be done, and that’s my focus. Sincerely.”

The anchor then promoted wild speculation that Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney could be Biden’s new running mate: “It sounds like you’re at least familiar with some of the punditry. I don’t know if you’ve heard that there’s been some talk about a Biden-Cheney ticket, perhaps, in 2024. Did you read that article?”

Harris laughed: “I did not. “No, it wasn’t. And I really could care less about the high-class gossip on these issues.”

Moments before asking about 2024, Melvin pressed the VP on the President’s incendiary and divisive rhetoric during a Tuesday speech in Georgia to sell doomed legislation that would implement a federal takeover of elections:

Let’s turn to voting rights here for a moment. You were there in Atlanta with the President when he compared those who oppose Democratic-backed voting bills that are currently in the Senate – he compared the folks who oppose those to folks who opposed civil rights. Senator Romney, in response yesterday, he took to the floor of the Senate and he said, quote, “So much for unifying the country.”

He said something when the President was campaigning in fall 2020. He said, “With trump out of the way, the vindictiveness of a president going after Republicans who don’t do exactly what he says gets taken away.” Isn’t that exactly what President Biden did in Atlanta on Wednesday?

Harris doubled down on Biden comparing Republicans, and even some Democrats, to segregationists like George Wallace and Bull Connor: “President Biden took the, I believe, right and courageous step to say that Senate rules should not get in the way of protecting the American people’s access to the ballot, and he compared this time to a previous time in our history which is apt for comparison.”

Earlier in the discussion, Melvin also hammered on the administration’s mishandling of COVID:

This week, we have seen a record amount of adults and children being admitted to hospital. We’ve seen the infection record broken. I think a lot of people are scratching their heads and they’re wondering one year into this administration, why aren’t we doing better in the fight against COVID?…At what point does the administration say, you know what, this strategy isn’t working? We’re gonna change strategies? The open letter was signed by six ex-administration officials. They urged the administration to alter its strategy and to depart from their current course. It is now or never.

Even as networks like NBC ignore Biden’s approval rating falling to a new low, Melvin’s challenging exchange with Harris shows that the liberal media know how bad things are for the White House.

Planet Fitness and Citi brought the interview to you.

This transcript contains excerpts of the January 13, 2013 segment.

7:03 AM ET

(…)

CRAIG MELVINO: This week was record-breaking in terms of the number of adults and children admitted to hospital. We’ve seen the infection record broken. I think a lot of people are scratching their heads and they’re wondering one year into this administration, why aren’t we doing better in the fight against COVID?

KAMALA HarRIS: I think people are just plain frustrated by where they’re at the moment. We’re frustrated, we’re all frustrated. But I think it’s a mistake – and it would be a mistake –  to suggest that we’ve not seen great progress.

(…)

MELVIN: At what point does the administration say, you know what, this strategy isn’t working? We’re gonna change strategies? Last week, six former officials of the Administration wrote an open letter asking for change in strategy and direction. It is now or never.

(…)

MELVIN: At what point does the administration acknowledge these people aren’t going to get the shot? They’re just not going to do it.

HARRIS: I don’t believe in giving up on people, Craig. I really don’t.

(…)

MELVIN: Let’s turn to voting rights here for a moment. You were there in Atlanta with the President when he compared those who oppose Democratic-backed voting bills that are currently in the Senate – he compared the folks who oppose those to folks who opposed civil rights. Senator Romney, in response yesterday, he took to the floor of the Senate and he said, quote, “So much for unifying the country.”

He said something when the President was campaigning in fall 2020. He said, “With trump out of the way, the vindictiveness of a president going after Republicans who don’t do exactly what he says gets taken away.” Isn’t that exactly what President Biden did in Atlanta on Wednesday?

HARRIS: President Biden took the, I believe, right and courageous step to say that Senate rules should not get in the way of protecting the American people’s access to the ballot, and he compared this time to a previous time in our history which is apt for comparison.

MELVIN: It’s not just Republican opposition. This piece of legislation seems to be going down to just one or two moderate Democrats. In months and weeks, the administration hasn’t been able to convince one or two senators to come around. Is that possible in just a few days?

HARRIS: If I may, I’d like to contextualize this conversation.

MELVIN: Sure.

HARRIS This was not an issue of partisanship. It was an American matter.

MELVIN: Madam Vice President! How are you going get it done?

HARRIS: Well – well, when we have the discussion about who’s responsible, I will not absolve the 50 Republicans in the United States Senate from responsibility for upholding one of the most basic and important tenants of our democracy, which is free and fair elections and access to the ballot for all eligible voters.

MELVIN – What do you think about Senator Manchin How about Senator Sinema?

HARRIS: I don’t think anyone should be absolved from the responsibility of preserving and protecting our democracy.

MELVIN: Are you working –

HARRIS: They took an oath of allegiance to our Constitution.

MELVIN – Why isn’t the Senate Democrats joining the Administration?

HARRIS – We’re not quitting.

MELVIN: It’s not, but it begs the question of why.

HARRIS: But you’re acting as though it’s over.  

MELVIN: Well, I mean, you’ve –  

HARRIS: It’s not over.

MELVIN: So it’s gonna happen by Monday?

HARRIS: I’m saying it’s not over. And we don’t give up. We don’t give up and we will not give up.

MELVIN: Will we see the same Democratic party in 2024 as before?

HARRIS: [Long pause] I’m sorry, we are thinking about today. I mean, honestly, I know why you’re asking the question because this is part of the punditry and the gossip around places like Washington, D.C. Let me just tell you something, we’re focused on the things in front of us. We’re focused on what we need to do to address issues like affordable child care, what we need to do to ensure that –  

MELVIN: So there’ll be no conversations about 2024?

HARRIS : This is the American people sending us to do a job. And right now there’s a lot of work to be done, and that’s my focus. Sincerely.  

MELVIN: It sounds like you’re at least familiar with some of the punditry. I don’t know if you’ve heard that there’s been some talk about a Biden-Cheney ticket, perhaps, in 2024. Have you ever read the article?

HARRISON: No, I didn’t. Non, it was not. The gossip from the upper classes on these topics is not something I care about.

(…)

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