U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty
Vice PresidentKamala Harrisis pushing back on some of the scrutiny she’s faced in the press since taking office almost a year ago.
In aninterview with theSan Francisco Chronicle, Harris said headlines like the ones about a purchase she made at cookware store during hertrip to Francelast month were “ridiculous” and distracted from the substance of her diplomatic mission.
The vice president, 57, traveled to Paris in November to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron following arough patchin U.S. relations with the country. During the four-day trip, Harris highlighted and discussed important issues on behalf of the Biden administration.
“Oh, how about, ‘She’s going to buy a pot on her way to the airport after a very significant and highly successful bilateral meeting in France on issues that are about national security, on issues that are about climate, on issues that are about what we are doing in terms of international norms and rules on everything from cyber to space,’ " Harris told theChronicle. “Come on.”
On the same trip, there was also discussion in the media over Harris' pronunciation of the word “the” and whether she was trying to fit in with French speakers.
Back in the U.S., some online chatter last week focused on the vice president’suse of wired rather than wireless headphones. “Really?” she said in response, according to theChronicle. (For the record, she is wary of Bluetooth headphones for security reasons.)
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But Harris is not dismissing media attention outright given the historic nature of her vice presidency as the first woman elected to the position and the complicated issues — like immigration and voting rights — PresidentJoe Bidenhas put on her plate.
Meanwhile, the exit of high-profile aides — including senior advisor and chief spokesperson for the vice president,Symone Sanders— have complicated Harris’response to reports of alleged dysfunctioninside her office.
According to theChronicle, she “sidestepped” questions about staff departures during the interview.
Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat lawmaker from Oakland and a friend of Harris, told the paper she doesn’t believe other vice presidents would receive similar coverage.
“Quite frankly, the media around this takes away from how effective she is being as vice president,” Lee said. “It shows you the scrutiny that they have her under, and it makes me concerned about all the other issues that the press is reporting on, the kind of reporting that I think takes away from really the focus on what she is doing as vice president for the country.”
Others interviewed for the Harris profile said she’s doing well in a job that is primarily about supporting the president and his or her agenda.
“There have been a lot of misconceptions about the vice presidency that have been propagated that have in a way hurt her and maybe even caused them to go in directions that were a mistake,” vice presidential historian Joel Goldstein said.
Harris' goals for a second year as vice president include traveling more frequently across the country to promote the administration’s priorities like the social spending bill the House approved but that’s now before the U.S. Senate.
“I have always felt that my responsibility as an elected leader is to go to the people,” Harris said, “especially when their needs must be addressed and they must know that they are being seen and being heard.”
source: people.com
