Harris takes aim at "loser" Trump over beers with Colbert
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Vice President Kamala Harris with "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" host Stephen Colbert. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Republican presidential rival former President Trump for his relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during an interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday.
The big picture: Harris became angry as she noted journalist Bob Woodward reports in his upcoming book "War" that Trump sent rare COVID test machines to Putin early in the pandemic, per an excerpt from her interview on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" that was shared with reporters ahead of airing Tuesday night.
What they're saying: "Do you remember what those days were like? You remember how many people did not have tests and were trying to scramble to get them?" said Harris, after Colbert opened a can of Miller High Life beer each for them.
- "You remember how rare it was to have and you remember people by the hundreds were dying every day?" she added.
- "And this man is giving Covid test kits to Vladimir Putin? Think about what this means on top of him sending love letters to [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un. No, think about it. He thinks, well, that's his friend. What about the American people? They should be your first friend."
Zoom in: Harris also pointed to Trump's 2020 presidential election loss as she highlighted the popularity of her rallies.
- "I'm going to tell you what some of the people in my rallies — quite a few people show up, by the way — you know, when you lost millions of jobs, you lost manufacturing, you lost automotive plants, you lost the election. What does that make you? A loser. This is what somebody at my rallies said. I thought it was funny," Harris said.
- "This is what happens when I drink beer," she joked.
The other side: Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told Axios earlier Tuesday that claims in Woodward's book were "made up stories" and that the GOP presidential nominee gave Woodward "absolutely no access for this trash book."
- Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Harris' remarks in the evening.
Zoom out: During Harris' interview with Colbert that's part of the Democratic presidential candidate's weeklong media blitz, she also spoke about the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
- Colbert noted that "we've heard about being close" to a deal on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and releasing the hostages who've been held by Hamas since Oct. 7, "but what does close mean?"
- Harris replied: "Close means that a lot of the details have been worked out but details remain. And so there has been some progress but it is meaningless unless a deal is actually reached, so I don't want to suggest to you that we should be applauded for getting close at times to a deal."
Yes, but: She said "we cannot lose some belief in the possibility" of a deal, noting "it is complex," but "the United States must work and not lose hope."
Go deeper: Trump has a "desire to be a dictator," Harris says on Howard Stern show
Editor's note: This article has been updated with further details from "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" interview.
