The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Kamala Harris on Trump's Coronavirus Response and the Path to Racial Justice Reform (Rebroadcast)

Episode Date: January 18, 2021

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris talks about President Trump's handling of COVID-19, shares the Biden-Harris plan for pandemic relief and discusses police accountability. Originally aired on November 1, 2020. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. Really? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News, listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Senator Harris, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show.

I know, I feel very apart and yet close to you, Trevor. It has been quite a journey that you have been on. I mean, it's very apart and yet close to you, Trevor. It has been quite a journey that you have been on. I mean, it's what, 20 months ago, you were on the campaign trail in the primaries, vying for the seat as president, and now here you are just a week away from possibly becoming the vice president of the United States. I mean, there are so many other issues that still need to be dealt with in America, but coronavirus and the dealing with this pandemic, it's the issue.

And you see it worldwide. France announcing new shutdowns, Germany as well. In the rest of the world, it feels like people deal with the virus. You know, the nation has. If it gets bad, the people shut down a little bit. But they're managing it. In America, it feels like it's either the argument is all locked down or all open, and the Trump campaign is saying, well, we're the campaign of open up the country and they say the Biden campaign, Biden-Harris want to lock things down.

What is the actual plan for what you want to do when you get into to get into to get into to get into to get into into power. Well, and I appreciate the way you've asked the question. What is actually at play, right? As opposed to the rhetoric. What is actually at play is back in January, Donald Trump knew the seriousness of this, knew that it was contagious, airborne, deadly, five times more deadly than the flu, and he sat on that information. He covered it up and he didn't share it with the people. Can you imagine if families, if teachers of small business owners knew on January 28th what the president knew and had the ability therefore to prepare, having a plan based on embracing the fact of being honest with the American people, and then embracing science to do what we will do, which is a national strategy for testing for vaccines when we have one, which will be free. But also dealing with another piece of this, Trevor, which, which, trever, which, and, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and the, and the, and the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their their their their their the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their, their, their, their, their, thr. thr. thru. te. tea.ea. tea. truu. tru. trea. tre. tre. thr-e. thr. their, their, national strategy for testing for vaccines when we have one, which will

be free, but also dealing with another piece of this, Trevor, which I really want to emphasize. In many ways, I believe this pandemic has been an accelerator, meaning it has accelerated what was messed up already, right? So people who were doing badly before are doing even worse. You look at the racial disparities. Across the board, those racial disparities, be it, be it, thi. th, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, thi. But, thi. But, thi. But, but, but, but, th, the the, the the, the, thi, but, thi, thi, thi, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the the the the the the the the the the the the thi, also also also also also also also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, also, the the the the before are doing even worse. You look at the racial disparities. Across the board, those racial disparities, be it in health, be it the economic racial disparities, wealth disparities, across the board, they were bad before, and

this pandemic has made them even worse. And so when I think about this issue, I think of it in terms of what the solution has to look like, and it has to expanding the Affordable Care Act, not suing to get rid of it, which is what Donald Trump is doing. Joe and I are saying, let's expand it. Joe and I are saying, look, health care? The body doesn't just start from the neck down. It's all from the neck up. And that's called mental health care. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People. People people. People people. People people. People people. People people. People are people. People. People. th. th. th. to to to to to to to to to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. the, the, the, the, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the their, their, their, their, their, their. the so much trauma even before, and especially now, let's address it, right?

These are the things that we are focused on, including lifting back up the economic condition of people. And so that's on a number of levels. And you look at the frontline workers, by the way, 200,000 of which are dreamers, and all of those people, mostly women and men of color, who are the front line working to save the lives of perfect strangers without having paid sick leave, without having paid family leave, and without having the appropriate PEPs to protect themselves. So part of our plan is to also address that and to get people the resources they need. Well Joe and I have a plan that's about giving federal grants and support to small businesses to do things like the plexiglass barriers because that's an expensive overhead for them to have

to afford that, right? To support them so they can reopen and re-hire. But you have to see the people. And you have to understand their needs and speak to their needs as opposed to what this guy in the White House does, which is is is is is is is is is is th is th is th is th thi, which is th th thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, which is thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi..... thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. theei. thei. to to thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thea,that's who he speaks to full-time. So are you saying, if I'm understanding correctly, that the plan is too open to limit shutdowns but to give people the tools to open, or is it to go shutdown first approach? What does it actually mean? It means first and foremost. The problem that we are facing in terms of the economic harm in the shutdowns is because of the public health crisis. And we have to get a handle on that.

So we need to have a plan which this administration has not had for national testing, increasing the number of drive-through testing sites, for example. That's one of the things that we're going to do. But making sure that there are free testing, rapid testing, making sure, making sure that when, that when, that when, that, ths, ths, th-s, th-s, the the the thiiiia-s, thi, thi, the, thr-s, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, and their, and their, and their, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, their-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s.e.e. thr-s. theauuuaughea-s'-s'-s.easeaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseasea-s. thr-s. thr-s. thr-s. testing, making sure that when we have a vaccine that it is distributed and that we also take into account racial disparities, listening to the experts, listening to the scientists, and letting that guide our approach, but also understanding that they're going to have to be phases to this. And we're not going to go from having these spikes in the virus to just turning on a flip and everything going back to normal. And so the interim plan, yes, includes supporting small businesses with getting them things like support for them to reopen and rehire and do it in a way that is safe for themselves and their customers.

And not to mention schools, our teachers and our students. Part of our plan is to invest in infrastructure. And so when we talk about reopening and making it a safe and a healthy place for whomever, our children or our small businesses, we have to have a plan and the details matter. I would love to start at the beginning of the journey and go, it's interesting being Kamala Harris because according to Trump, you are crazier than Bernie the most socialist person in the world. And then according to some people, you are, you, you, you, you, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, and a th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, thei, thei, thea thea thea thea thea' thea' thea' thea' thi, thi, thi, th crazier than Bernie, the most socialist person in the world. And then according to some people, you are not progressive enough. Who are you to you?

Like if you are introducing Kamala Harris to people, who is Kamala Harris and what are you going to represent when you get into that office? Let me tell you, I am the child of parents who fought for civil rights. I am the daughter of a mother who arrived in the United States at the age of 19 and believed that she and her children could do anything and that we should never hear no. And so these are some of the things that have fueled my ambition to fight for equality, to fight for justice, to fight for fairness. And when I think about the prospect of being the vice president of the United States,

those will be my values and my goals, informed by the values that are about, understanding the need to fight for the dignity of all people, fighting for working families, fighting for the vulnerable and the voiceless among us. These are the things that propel me. The things that propel me are to fix these problems in a way that we understand the people behind the issues

and not just engage in grand gestures, but engage in what is actually necessary to address the needs of the people. You know, and yeah, these people, I mean, I don't pay attention to the name calling, Trevor. There are some of us who have lived a lifetime of being called names and it is predictable and it is childish and it will not distract me. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look,

starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. One of the biggest issues that came to the fore during 2020 was that of racial justice. It's been a difficult one because of how oftentimes it is painted as a binary scenario in America. You know, people go, all cops or no cops. And that seems to be the argument. You are somebody who has investigated police departments, somebody who has held them accountable.

It hasn't been an easy journey in America, and the attitudes have definitely shifted. So my question is, how do you think America can move forward in a world where police are held accountable, but not made to feel like they cannot do their job. Right. So part of it is this, having worked inside the system, I decided to go in the system to change it from the inside. And one of

the things that I can tell you, having spent my career there, is that there's a term accountability and consequence, consequence and accountability. You hear it used all the time in the criminal justice system. And almost always it is directed at the time in the criminal justice system. And almost always, it is directed at the person who was arrested, and never at the system itself and the people who work in the system. And we have to get to a place of agreeing. Everyone must be held accountable and there must be consequences when somebody breaks the law, and that includes a police officer, especially a police officer who has been entrusted by the public with the power and authority that they have. And so the way that I think about it is that we need greater

accountability and consequence because frankly there has not been there's been inadequate accountability and consequence when there is when they break the law such as killing an unarmed black man, brown man, black woman, brown woman or anybody. So, tho. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the power. the power. the power. the power. the power. the power. the power. the power. the power. the power. with the power. with the power. with the power. with the power. with the power. with the power. with the power. with the power. with the power. the power. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the poooo. the the p. the power. the the the the the when they break the law, such as killing an unarmed black man, brown man, black woman, brown woman, or anybody. So Joe and I, for example, will ban carotid holes and chokeholds. George Floyd will be alive today. We will create a national registry of police officers who break the law. Why? Because often it is the case they're not held accountable in court, but they may get fired.

But then they get fired, they move to another jurisdiction and get hired there. We need to be able to track that. Joe and I are saying we need a national standard for use of force. Why? Because when there is an excessive use of force, the system asks, this question, usually. Was the use of force reasonable. Well, you and I know know know know know know know know know know know know know know know know know know know know you can you can you can you can you can you can you can the the thue, you can the thue, you can thue, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, their, thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the use of force reasonable? Well you and I know you can reason away just about anything. The more fair and just question to ask is, was the use of force necessary? These are the things we will do.

But in addition, I believe that we have to reimagine public safety in America. If we want to achieve safety, it is outdated thinking to think the way you're going to do it is just put more cops on the street. The way you're going to do it is you invest in public education, you invest in access to capital for small businesses and for families. You invest in high rates of home ownership. These are the things that contribute to a healthy and a productive society. With Vice President Biden to President Obama, he was the one th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the one th. thuuuuuuuuuuu thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tho tho tho tho tho tho thi thi thi tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho th is just tho th is th is just th is th is just th is th is th is th is th is th is th is th is th is th is th is th. th. th. th. th. th. thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thii. thiiiiii. the way the way the way the way thi. the way thi. thi. thi. th healthy and a productive society. With Vice President Biden to President Obama, he was the one who would whip up the votes.

He would try and create some consensus in Congress. You know, with Dick Cheney, he was the real President of War. You know, with Mike Pence, I guess he proofreads the tweets. I don't know. But the point is, as Vice President, you have a special position. You have a special relationship the special relationship the special relationship the special relationship thhihihihihihihihihihi that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would thii, the, the, the, theate, theateate, theateateate, theate, theate, theateate, theate, thate, thate, th point is, as vice president, you have a special position. You have a special relationship with Joe in that you are trying to get to the same place, but sometimes you see the world in different ways. What do you hope your role will be in helping Joe Biden achieve what the Democrats and what the voters have asked of the people they voted for? That's a great question. I mean, here I'll tell you this. I think that one of the the the the the the the the the the the this. I think that one of the things I love

about Joe, he had the audacity to say he was going to have a woman run on the ticket with him and then he chose a black woman. That was his choice. And he ought the audacity to do that. He understands that he and I have very different lived experiences. And he wants and asked for a partner who would do this work with him, who can give feedback and perspective around not only a different life experience but but joined by our shared values, right? And so I think about the work that we will do together from that perspective where it's going to be about a lot of honest conversations with with real feedback and perspective, but focused you know primarily of course to get back to to to thi them, to to to, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who th, who th, who thi, who thi, who thi, who thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tho tho, who can thi thi tho tho, who can tho, who can tho, who can tho, who can tho, who can th who can th who can th who can th who can th who can th who can th, who can th, who can th, who th, who to to to to to to to to to to to th, who th, who th, who th, who th, who th who tho thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thiii thi thii thii thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi to's going to be about a lot of honest conversations with with real feedback and perspective but focused you know primarily of course

To get back to where we started what we need to do to get through the tragedy of the pandemic But also to unify our country knowing that we have had to withstand four years of a president who's try to so hate and division and we need to bring the country back together to to to the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to to the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the try. the the to to to to to who spent full-time trying to so hate and division. And we need to bring the country back together around our shared ideals. You know, regardless of where you live, your gender, your race, your age, the language your grandmother speaks. The vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. And Joe and are very committed to doing that, which is to unify our country.

My final question to you is, your name. Why does it seem like it becomes harder to pronounce your name, the more conservative a person is? Because I've noticed that there are some people you've worked with in the Senate who don't seem to know your name? Is this strange for you or does this like just remind?, or, or, to to to th you, th th th th thi thi th thi th thi, th thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thi thi thoooooooooooo the the thoooooooooooo the thoooooo with in the Senate who don't seem to know your name. Is this strange for you or does this like just remind you of growing up? I mean, any immigrant has the story, any child of immigrants has the story. How does this make you feel when you see people fighting about your name?

Well, that's an interesting way to ask the question because when I see the people who have had the experience of having been given a name from their family, which is one of the greatest gifts that a family can give you, it is the first gift that a child usually when they enter the earth receives from their family. It is usually informed by tradition and love and the hope and aspiration the family has for that child. It is something precious and sacred, and it is a part of their identity.

And when I see people fighting for the right for that to be respected and treated in a dignified way, I applaud and salute that. Anybody who otherwise, on the other side of that, wants to play childish games as though the highest elected leaders should conduct themselves like they did when they were children on the playground, well, it speaks poorly of their appreciation

for the responsibility and the role that they have. And I think it's a reflection of their appreciation for the responsibility and the role that they have. And I think it's a reflection of their values and maturity. Well, on that note, I thank you for your time. Congratulations on the journey that you've been on, and hopefully the votes will all be counted. Hopefully there will not be an insane amount of turmoil and hopefully we'll be talking to you again, maybe from the journey to you again, maybe, from the journey to the White House.

Thank you so much for your time, Senator Harris. Thank you. It's good to be with you, Trevor. The Daily Show with Trevor Noa, ears edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11th, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more.

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News.

Listen to 60 minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.