Donald Trump claims Kamala Harris is a ‘dirty person’ — and a moment from her debate with Mike Pence proves it
- Trump also said Harris’ questioning of Brett Kavanaugh was ‘mean’
According to Donald Trump, Kamala Harris’ viral moment during her 2020 debate with Mike Pence is proof that the current vice president is terrible.
The ex-president slammed his 2024 party rival for telling his then-vice president to stop talking over her during their only debate.
“Now they have Kamala, who they say has many shortcomings, but she’s an unpleasant person,” Trump told Fox News host Mark Levin on his Sunday night program Life, Liberty and Levin.
“The way she treated Mike Pence was appalling,” he continued. “The way she treats people is appalling.”
During the debate in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 7, 2020, the two candidates sat at a table throughout the session and at one point Harris rebuked Pence’s interruption with, “Mr. Vice President, it’s my turn to speak.”
Donald Trump said evidence that Kamala Harris is “mean” and “vile” is the way she handled Mike Pence during their 2020 debate and her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh when he was nominated for the Supreme Court in 2018.
The moment has been widely shared and is now being used by Harris’ supporters as a kind of slogan for women’s empowerment.
Potential interruptions likely won’t be an issue during Trump’s Sept. 10 debate with Harris, as ABC News keeps microphones on mute when it’s not a candidate’s turn to speak.
Harris’ team also pushed for her to sit with Trump during the debate as she did when confronting Pence, the former president’s campaign said. But the two remain behind podiums.
Also during his interview with Levin, the former president went after Harris for her questioning of Chief Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the confirmation process — when the vice president was still a senator from California.
“Oh, she was mean,” Trump said. “Oh, she was the meanest. She went after them.”
He later added: “The way she treated Judge Kavanaugh in that hearing has never been treated that way in the history of Congress.”
During the vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 7, 2020, Harris criticized Pence’s interruption with, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”
During the 2018 hearing, Harris, a former prosecutor and onetime California attorney general, was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and made headlines for her questioning of Kavanaugh.
Harris’ campaign has used her questioning of Kavanaugh in videos and ads, portraying her as a tough prosecutor who will hold officials accountable as president.
Trump’s comments to Levin about that tense moment are reminiscent of comments he made during his 2020 campaign, when he also called Harris “terrible” and “mean” for criticizing his candidate.
