#Charlamagne tha God exchange was result of ‘frustration’

Vice President Kamala Harris has said she felt “frustration” during a rocky interview earlier this month with radio and TV host Charlamagne tha God, during which she was asked who was the “real” president of the United States.

CBS News’ “Face The Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan suggested to Harris in an interview that aired Sunday that the veep had experienced “a flash of anger” during the sitdown before playing a clip of the exchange.

“I want to know who the real president of this country is — is it Joe Biden, or [Sen.] Joe Manchin?” Charlamagne asked the vice president on his Dec. 17 Comedy Central show, “Tha God’s Honest Truth.”

“C’mon, Charlamagne,” a disappointed-sounding Harris answered. “Come on.”

“I really — I can’t tell sometimes,” the host responded, to which Harris answered: “No, no, no, no, no, no. 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.

As Brennan began her next question, Harris said: “Frustration.”

The CBS host then compared Harris’ outburst to similar emotions she expressed during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. 

“What gets you fired up these days?” Brennan asked. 

“Injustice,” Harris replied. “I don’t like unfairness … you know, some things are fairly innocuous, but unfairness in a way that can be hurtful to someone. You know, that’s why I became a prosecutor.” 

The Comedy Central interview with Harris aired two days before Manchin (D-WV) appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and announced he would vote “no” on the current version of President Biden’s nearly $2 trillion Build Back Better Act.

In opposing the measure, the West Virginian cited his concerns about inflation, the spiraling national debt and the ongoing COVID pandemic.

The president has remained positive that Democrats will be able to pass his agenda early next year, telling reporters last week that he and Manchin will “get something done.” 

In order to pass the legislation in the Senate, Democrats must use a parliamentary procedure called reconciliation that allows them to pass the bill with just 51 votes rather than the usual 60. Because the upper chamber is split 50-50, with Harris the tie-breaker, the party needs all its members on board.