Kamala Harris Gets Testy When Charlamagne tha God Asks If Biden or Manchin Is President — And a Staffer Tries to END the Interview

Kamala Harris did not appreciate the fact that Charlamagne tha God repeatedly asked her whether Joe Biden or Joe Manchin is president. During the exchange, an aide for Harris even attempted to end the interview, which aired on Friday’s Tha God’s Honest Truth on Comedy Central.

As a single Democratic senator in an evenly-divided Senate controlled by his party, Manchin has a lot of leverage and he has perhaps been more willing to use it than any other. Earlier this week, his objections to Biden’s Build Back Better legislation prompted the Senate to shelve the bill.

“We need you to be the superhero that saves democracy,” Charlamagne told Harris. “Somebody has to push back on Joe Manchin. That guy is stopping progress. He’s ruining democracy. Are you willing to be that superhero? ‘Cause what scares me is if the voting rights don’t pass, the Build Back Better doesn’t pass, or police reform doesn’t pass, I doubt you’re gonna get Black people to go out there and vote in 2022 and 2024. And, you know, Trump will be president again. What’s the plan for all of that?”

Harris dodged the Manchin question, instead saying, “I couldn’t agree with you more on the seriousness of these issues and how people take these issues seriously. And so we’re gonna have to keep fighting on voting rights. We need to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. We need to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, and be relentless about pushing for that.”

Charlamagne pressed Harris on Manchin.

“Who is the superhero that is gonna speak against Joe Manchin?”

With that, a woman’s voice could be heard off-camera, but Charlamagne continued on.

“I want to know who the real president of this country is? Is it Joe Biden or Joe Manchin?”

The voice jumped into the conversation.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “It’s Symone. I’m so sorry Charlamagne. We have to wrap.”

Though her face was obscured, the ‘Symone’ was presumably Harris aide Symone Sanders, who is departing the vice president’s office later this month.

“She can hear me,” Charlamagne shot back.

After some crosstalk and another “We gotta wrap” from Sanders, Charlamagne claimed, “They’re acting like they can’t hear me.”

“I can hear you,” said Harris.

The exchange got tense from there.

CHARLAMAGNE: So who’s the real president of this country? Is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?”

HARRIS: Come on, Charlamagne. Come on. It’s Joe Biden.

CHARLAMAGNE: I can’t tell sometimes.

HARRIS: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It’s Joe Biden, and don’t start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he’s president. And it’s–

CHARLAMAGNE: Do you think Joe Manchin is a problem?

HARRIS: And it’s Joe Biden. And I’m vice president and my name is Kamala Harris, and the reality is, because we are in office we do the things like the child tax credit which is going to reduce Black child poverty by 50% – on track to do that. We do things that are about saying that our Department of Justice is gonna do these investigations and require that we end chokeholds and have body cameras.

It is the work of saying, we are going to get lead out of pipes and paint because are babies are suffering because of that. It is the work of saying, people who ride public transit deserve the same kind of dignity that anybody else does, so let’s improve that system. It is the work of saying that we have got to bring down prescription drug costs because folks who have diabetes should not be dying because they don’t have enough money in their pocket. it’s about saying Black maternal mortality is a real issue that must be treated by everybody, including the White House, as a serious issue.

I hear the frustration. but let’s not deny the impact that we’ve had, and agree also that there is a whole lot more work to be done. And it is not easy to do, but we will not give up. And I will not give up.

CHARLAMAGNE: I just want you to know, Madame Vice President, that Kamala Harris, that’s the one I like. That’s the one that was putting the pressure on people in Senate hearings. That’s the one I’d like to see more often out here in these streets. Thank you for joining us, Madame Vice President.

HARRIS: I’m glad to be with you.

The interview ended with some light banter and wishing each other’s families well.

Watch above via Comedy Central.