During a wide-ranging audio town hall with popular radio host Charlamagne on Tuesday, Harris left the door open to slavery reparations if she's elected next month.
"I am running to be a president for all Americans," she said in response to a caller's question. "That being said, I do have clear eyes about the disparities that exist and the context in which they exist, meaning history, to your point. So my agenda, well, first of all, on the point of reparations, it has to be studied. There's no question about that. And I've been very clear about that position in terms of my immediate plan."
Economists estimate that reparations would could taxpayers, none of whom are directly responsible for slavery, at least $14 trillion, though if such a plan were ever enacted, a fierce debate would ensue over who would qualify.
Kamala says she's open to a multi-trillion-dollar reparations plan: "On the point of reparations — it has to be studied, there's no question." pic.twitter.com/CD8fWQRahQ
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 15, 2024
At another point the host pressed Harris on the administration’s border failures.
CHARLAMAGNE: "Doesn't the Biden administration have to take some blame for the border, though? A lot of the blame? The first three years, you all did get a lot of things wrong."
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 15, 2024
KAMALA: No, we proposed MASS AMNESTY on day one! pic.twitter.com/98mC4uPqIB
Kamala Harris briefly gets testy when Charlamagne tha God points out the Biden-Harris administration have had four years to fix the border, blaming Donald Trump and Republicans for not accepting his day one bill (a wish-list from illegal immigrant groups) pic.twitter.com/XYhOZbJxaI
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 15, 2024
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Despite the VP going on the program to shore up support among the black community, Charlamagne pressed her on actions she took as a district attorney, including reports that thousands of black men were locked up on drug charges.
"One of the biggest pieces of misinformation, one of the biggest allegations against you is that you targeted and locked up thousands of black men in San Francisco," the host said. "Some say you did it to boost your career. Some say you did it out of pure hate for black men. Please tell us the facts."
"It’s just simply not true," Harris responded. "And public defenders who're around those days will tell you I was the most progressive prosecutor in California on marijuana cases and would not send people to jail for simple possession of weed and as vice president have been a champion for bringing marijuana down on the schedule."
As district attorney, Harris oversaw nearly 2,000 marijuana convictions between 2004 and 2011, the New York Post reports.
A listener also wanted to know why the Biden-Harris administration is sending taxpayer money to foreign countries "when we desperately need it in our own country, for homeless, housing, resources, for whatever?”
“We can do it all, and we do,” she replied.
“So, first of all, I maintain very strongly America should never pull ourselves away from our responsibility as a world leader, and that is in the best interest of our national security and each one of us, as Americans, and our standing in the world," Harris continued. “That being said, we also have an obligation to American citizens — obviously — and people who are here — to meet their everyday needs and challenges."
Harris then went on a tangent about how the administration has brought down prescription drug costs and invested in historically black colleges and universities, the child tax credit, small businesses, and more.
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