Vice President Kamala Harris remembered former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday, remarking that “it was never about him,” rather “it was about the country.”
“What an incredible American. He obviously served with dignity, he served with grace,” she said on Air Force Two. “He was the epitome of what it means to be strong but at the same time so modest in terms of everything that he did and said and the way that it was never about him. It was about the country and it was about the people who served with him.”
Harris mentioned that the last time she saw and spoke with Powell, which was at a White House dinner with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in July.
“We talked a bit about the challenges of this moment and, as you all know, he’s very supportive of the president and the work that we needed to get done,” she said.
Harris noted Powell’s historic role as “the first black person, black man to be Joint Chiefs, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to be national security advisor, to be secretary of state, every step of the way.”
When he filled those roles, he was by everything that he did and the way he did it, inspiring so many people and there’s been a lot of conversation about that. How young service members and others not only in the military, but in our nation and around the globe, took notice of what his
accomplishments meant as a reflection of who we are as a nation. And I think that is one of the most important things to take away. Which is that he broke so many barriers and those barriers were not easy to break by any stretch, but he did it with dignity, he did it with grace. And because of what he was able to accomplish, it really did elevate our nation in so many ways. So may he rest in peace.
Before Harris’s remarks on Air Force Two, on the way from Los Angeles to Lake Mead, Nev., Harris released an official statement on Powell’s death, which was due to complications from Covid-19. Powell was 84 years old and was battling both Parkinson’s and multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that attacks white blood cells.
Watch above, via CNN.
UPDATE 4:42 pm ET: Following Harris’s remarks on Air Force Two, CBS News White House reporter Tim Perry asked Harris, “What is your message for Americans who know that [Powell] was fully vaccinated with Covid who, are now, remain skeptical about getting the vaccine despite the fact that, yes, he did have a cancer diagnosis as well?”
“What happened in terms of his health situation is exactly what the doctors have told us can happen, right? In terms of people who are immunocompromised, people who have pre-existing conditions,” replied Harris. “I think that today is a day to really reflect on the