ICYMI: VP Harris Calls Out "Split Screen" Between the Biden-Harris Administration and Extremists Across America

In Wide-Ranging Primetime Interview, the Vice President Calls Out "Split Screen" Between the Biden-Harris Administration and Extremists Across America

During a national interview with MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, Vice President Harris called out, "those who are intent and purposeful to attack fundamental freedoms – be it the freedom to make a decision about your own body, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride, the freedom to be free from fear of violence and hate, the freedom to just be."

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris joined MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell for a wide-ranging primetime interview that aired across the country last night. During the conversation, she recapped how the Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to deliver for families across the country in 2023, previewed her upcoming reproductive freedoms tour, and continued her leadership on a range of key issues – from the Israel-Hamas conflict and the war in Ukraine to the fight for fundamental freedoms. The Vice President also repeatedly highlighted the "split screen" between the Biden-Harris Administration's record and the agenda of extremists across America.

"We trust women to be able to make a decision about what is in their best interests, and women can trust us to protect their fundamental freedoms. And on the other hand, you're going to have folks who want a national ban and have the gall to tell women who are even survivors of rape or incest that they do not have the right to make decisions about what happens to their body next," said Vice President Harris. "We want to ban assault weapons; they want to ban books. You look at it in terms of where we are on the economy: we are fighting for working people and increasing access to capital for small businesses; they're cutting taxes on the richest people in the country….You got people who are denying or greenwashing and delaying progress on one of the most existential crises we have ever faced; we, on the other hand, have invested historic amounts of dollars – over a trillion dollars – in the climate crisis and building a clean energy economy."

The Vice President also discussed her newly announced "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms Tour" that will kick off in Wisconsin on Jan. 22, the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. She shared that this tour will lift up the stories of those impacted by extreme abortion bans, hold extremists accountable for proposing a national abortion ban, call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe, and outline steps the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to protect access to health care.

"The majority of Americans agree that the freedom to make decisions about one's own body should be with the individual and not their government telling them what to do. And we saw that in the midterms; we saw that whenever reproductive freedom was on the ballot – from Kansas to California and most recently from Ohio to Virginia – the voters voted in favor of freedom," said Vice President Harris. "It is the fight for our reproductive freedoms, and I will be meeting with folks around the country of all types of background and political party affiliation to talk about the fact that most of us agree that one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held belief to believe that the government should not be telling her what to do with her body."

During last night's interview, Vice President Harris also continued her leadership on the world stage while addressing the Israel-Hamas conflict. She spoke about her recent diplomatic meetings with Arab leaders while in Dubai, and reiterated her commitment to a two-state solution with equal measures of security, prosperity, and freedom for Israelis and for Palestinians.

"Our position as the United States and the position that the president and I have taken from the day of the horror of October 7…has always been that Israel has a right to defend itself without any question, and how it does so matters," said Vice President Harris. "As I have said many times, we know that far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed, and it is important that – and we have made clear our perspective on this – there be a lessening of the intensity and more precision around how Israel goes after Hamas and the leadership of Hamas."

The Vice President also discussed Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine and the need for Congress to advance President Biden's supplemental funding request, saying that the principles of security, stability, and prosperity are at stake.

"I have now met with over 100 world leaders: presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, and kings. And even in my most recent travels in the last few weeks to the United Kingdom and to Dubai, I can tell you that our allies and our adversaries around the world are watching to see if the United States is going to follow through in its commitment to these principles," said Vice President Harris. "There are people in Washington, D.C. who don't actually understand the significance of this in terms of America's role of global leadership, and instead are playing politics in terms of the security package as a whole. It includes assistance for Ukraine to see through commitment we made to important principles, it includes assistance to Israel, to what we need to do in terms of assistance to Taiwan, and of course, more resources going to the border."