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https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3096996/how-trump-reacted-bidens-vp-pick-kamala-harris-shes United States & Canada
How Trump reacted to Biden’s VP pick Kamala Harris: she’s horrible and nasty
- US president unloads on Joe Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris
- Harris became the first black woman on a major party presidential ticket
President Donald Trump said he was ‘a little surprised’ that Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump called Kamala Harris “nasty” and the “meanest” member of the US Senate shortly after Joe Biden named her as his running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket.
Trump said Harris was “extraordinarily nasty” in her questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate confirmation hearing, repeating a line of attack he has used against several other female opponents, including his 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I thought it was terrible for her, I thought it was terrible for our nation,” Trump told reporters at a press briefing at the White House. “I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the US Senate.”
“She was extraordinarily nasty to Kavanaugh,” he said.
Trump also called Harris “nasty” in reference to a heated debate exchange over Biden’s record on school busing during a Democratic presidential primary debate. “She was very disrespectful to Joe Biden, and it’s hard to pick somebody that’s that disrespectful,” Trump said.
The Trump campaign was prepared with a nickname “phoney Kamala” – opposition advertising, and a phone call with reporters to respond to the Harris pick.
Harris, who had an Indian mother and Jamaican father, is the first black woman and Asian-American to run on the presidential ticket of a major party.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at a Democratic debate in 2019. File photo: Reuters
Trump offered several other criticisms of the candidate. He claimed that Harris wants to raise taxes, slash funds for the military, opposes fracking and is in favour of “socialised medicine”.
And he suggested her performance in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination bodes poorly for the Biden-Harris ticket. Harris dropped out of the race early.
“I like Vice-President Mike Pence much better. He is solid as a rock,” Trump said.
As a private citizen, Trump donated twice to Harris when she was a candidate for attorney general of California. He contributed a total of US$6,000 to her campaign committee in 2011 and 2013 combined, according to state records.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg