The normally poised Kamala Harris lost her cool during an interview with media personality Charlamagne Tha God as the vice president found herself defending President Joe Biden.
The exchange happened on the season finale of Charlamagne‘s Comedy Central talk and variety show, Tha God’s Honest Truth. Referencing the ongoing Senate standoff around the president’s proposed Build Back Better Act, the radio host jokingly questioned Biden’s current level of power.
“I want to know who the real president of this country is — is it Joe Biden, or Joe Manchin
?,” he asked as they discussed the West Virginia Democrat’s opposition to Biden’s $2 trillion spending plan, which CNN explains aims to expand the nation’s safety net, reducing child care and healthcare costs, and investing in resources to combat climate change.“C’mon, Charlamagne,” Harris responded, visibly annoyed. “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 and I’m vice president and my name is Kamala Harris,” she added.
Harris went on to detail the many initiatives she and the rest of the Biden Administration have been working on, including the Child Tax Credit, reducing childhood hunger, and working to invest in the infrastructure.
“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,” she continued. “But we will not give up and I will not give up.”
Charlamagne immediately commended the Vice President’s passion.
While Harris said Charlamagne’s comment that Manchin was single-handedly “holding up progress” was reductive, the senator announced today that he would not be signing the Build Back Better Act, officially putting an end to negotiations on this version of the bill.
“I have always said, ‘If I can’t go back home and explain it, I can’t vote for it,'” Manchin said in a statement. “Despite my best efforts, I cannot explain the sweeping Build Back Better Act in West Virginia and I cannot vote to move forward on this mammoth piece of legislation.”
Watch the exchange between the vice president and Charlamagne below.