An aide to Vice President Kamala Harris interrupted an on-air interview with Comedy Central host Charlamagne tha God as Harris was being asked about West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s role in curtailing liberal spending packages.
Harris’ aide Symone Sanders — who announced she was leaving Harris’ office at the end of the year — began to cut off the interview as Charlamagne asked Harris who was planning to push back against Manchin. As Sanders butted in, Charlamagne pushed harder and asked, “Who is the superhero that’s going to speak against Joe Manchin?”
“I want to know who the real president of this country is. Is it Joe Biden or Joe Manchin?” Charlemagne asked.
“I’m sorry. I interrupted,” Sanders said. “I’m so sorry Charlamagne, we have to wrap.”
Harris aide briefly interjects as @cthagod asks @VP to name the “real president … is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?” pic.twitter.com/FRkIyxjRuP
— Katherine Doyle (@katiadoyl) December 18, 2021
Harris ignored Sanders and answered by arguing that the question made the Comedy Central host sound “like a Republican.”
“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 Joe Biden, it’s Joe Biden,” Harris said. “And I’m vice president and my name is Kamala Harris.”
In the lead-up to the contentious back and forth, Charlamange argued that Manchin was “holding up progress” and hurting Black people, according to the full interview. Harris argued that Republicans, not Manchin, are “consistently and unanimously standing in the way of progress.” (RELATED: Biden And Manchin Speak With Build Back Better On The Ropes)
Charlemagne called on Harris to apply “passionate pressure to progressive roadblocks like” Manchin in a tweet from his show’s official account.