Kamala Harris discusses politics, Trump over beer on Stephen Colbert's show

With the US presidential elections mere weeks away, Vice President Kamala Harris is on a media run like she hasn’t been before. On Tuesday night, October 8, she took her election entourage to the set of the late night television show hosted by comedian Stephen Colbert – something her counterparts have refrained from doing. Harris appeared before an applauding live crowd, cracked open a cold beer and let it rip with Colbert, discussing policies and opponents.

Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, is in a close race with former president Donald Trump to win the keys to the White House. She has been criticised in the past for her limited media presence, something she seems to be working to change.

Colbert, who has hosted other politicians in the past, tends to create a cocktail of politics, policies and jokes that seem to work with his viewers.

With Harris, he noted that this election is being referred to as the “vibe election” and that voters are seeking a candidate they can drink with and relax with. So Harris did exactly that. She opened a beer and discussed politics and policies with Colbert.

“OK, the last time I had beer was at a baseball game with Doug. Cheers,” Harris remarked as she joined Colbert for a cold Miller High Life.

Colbert noted that the beer the two were consuming came from Milwaukee, situated in the swing state of Wisconsin where Harris has spent time recently shoring up critical votes.

“So that covers Wisconsin. Let’s talk about Michigan. Let’s appeal to the Michigan voters, OK? What are your favourite Bob Seger songs?” Colbert said.

In recent days, Harris has also appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes, the podcast Call Her Daddy, the daytime show The View and the radio show hosted by Howard Stern.

The vice-president also appeared for an interview in New York’s Ed Sullivan Theatre. Taking the opportunity, Harris pointed fingers at Trump over recent reports that he had been in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin even after leaving office, and even sent him Covid-19 testing kits during the pandemic lockdown.

“He thinks, well, that’s his friend,” Harris said. “What about the American people? They should be your first friend.”

The Colbert interview was broadcast on CBS and was not just fun and games, as the host and the guest tackled some important issues during the 40 minutes of conversation.

Colbert asked Harris about the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that triggered the latest wave of conflict in the region and how Israel has since responded.

“We must have a ceasefire and hostage deal as immediately as possible. This war has got to end. It has to end,” the Vice President responded.

The Colbert interview also came right after reports emerged about Trump’s engagement with Putin after leaving office, according to an upcoming book authored by veteran journalist Bob Woodward. He noted in his book that since leaving office in 2021, Trump had at least seven private calls with Putin and secretly sent him Covid tests in 2020.

Trump’s campaign team has denied the allegations.

“He openly admires dictators and authoritarians. He has said he wants to be a dictator on day one if he were elected again as president. He gets played by these guys. He admires so-called strongmen, and he gets played because they flatter him or offer him favour,” Harris said.

Harris was visibly agitated when talking about people who died during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“And this man is giving Covid test kits to Vladimir Putin? Think about what this means on top of him sending love letters to Kim Jong-un. He thinks, well, that’s his friend. What about the American people? They should be your first friend,” she said.

The popular comedian also asked Harris that Trump lost the 2020 election, something the former president has vehemently and subtly denied for years.

“You know, when you lost millions of jobs, you lost manufacturing, you lost automotive plants, you lost the election. What does that make you? A loser. This is what somebody at my rallies said. I thought it was funny,” Harris replied.

“It’s accurate. It’s accurate,” Colbert responded, only for Harris to point out: “This is what happens when I drink beer!”