Vice President Kamala Harris said during an interview that aired on Sunday that her “biggest failure” during her first year in the Biden administration was not getting out of Washington, D.C., more.
Harris’ remarks come as she has seen her approval ratings plummet to the worst numbers ever recorded for a vice president in a USA Today/Suffolk poll at 28%.
When asked by CBS News host Margaret Brennan what her biggest failure was during her first year in office, Harris responded, “To not get out of D.C. more.”
“I mean, and I actually mean that sincerely for a number of reasons,” she continued. “You know, I — we, the president and I came in, you know, COVID had already started. It was — the pandemic had started. And when we came in, we really couldn’t travel. You know, a large part of the relationship that he and I have built has been being in this, you know, together in the same office for hours on end, doing Zooms or whatever because we couldn’t get out of D.C. and on issues that are about fighting for anything from voting rights to child care to one of the issues that I care deeply about maternal health. Being with the people who are directly impacted by this work, listening to them so that they, not some pundit, tells us what their priorities are, I think is critically important.”
Harris said that she did not want to be out of touch with the American people by being trapped in a “bubble.”
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TRANSCRIPT:
MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you think, as you come to the end of this first year, what do you think your biggest failure has been at this point?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: To not get out of D.C. more. (Laughs) I mean, and I actually mean that sincerely for a number of reasons. You know, I- we, the president and I came in, you know, COVID had already started. It was- the pandemic had started. And when we came in, we really couldn’t travel. You know, a large part of the relationship that he and I have built has been being in this, you know, together in the same office for hours on end, doing Zooms or whatever because we couldn’t get out of D.C. and on issues that are about fighting for anything from voting rights to child care to one of the issues that I care deeply about maternal health. Being with the people who are directly impacted by this work, listening to them so that they, not some pundit, tells us what their priorities are, I think is critically important. People are- people have a right to know and believe that their government actually sees and hears them. And my biggest concern is I don’t ever want to be in a bubble when it comes to being aware of and in touch with what people need at any given moment in time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And I know we’re- we’re running out of time here, but I want to ask you, you know, I’ve talked to some of your former Senate colleagues and they say you have been given an impossible portfolio. And a lot of people have been harshly critical of that. And I want to ask you if you think some of these things are fair or unfair. Donna Brazile, the former Democratic strategist said, “all the focus on turnover in your office is overblown, but you do need to renew and repurpose.” Bakari Sellers said, “her portfolio is trash. You give someone a portfolio that is not meant for them to succeed.” Do you think any of this is fair? Do you think you’re being set up to fail?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: No, I don’t believe I’m being set up to fail. But- but–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Because these are Democrats saying this.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: –But more important I’m the Vice President of the United States, anything that I handle is because it’s a tough issue. And it couldn’t be handled at some other level. And there are a lot of big, tough issues that need to be addressed. And it has actually been part of my lifelong career to deal with tough issues and this is no different.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why do you think there is such scrutiny? I mean, women are always held to a different standard, that’s just a fact. Is the fact that you’re a woman and the fact that you are a minority in this office part of why there is such scrutiny?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I’ll leave that for others to deal with. I, you know, I- I have a job to do. And I’m going to get that job done. Let me just tell you, if you talk about being the first or being- maybe it’s because I am that, for the first time maternal health is on the stage at the White House, where we’re bringing people in from around the country to talk about maternal mortality, to talk about issues like postpartum care and why we should expand Medicaid coverage so it’s not just 60 days, but it’s for a year because that’s how long she needs that assistance. And to do it because it’s the right thing to do regardless of your gender, regardless of your race. And it affects so many women around our country.