Kamala Harris supports Republicans who downplayed COVID-19 getting early vaccine

Amid growing anger as some Republicans who have spent the pandemic downplaying COVID-19 become some of the first to receive the vaccine, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris appeared on The ReidOut where she said she supports it. Over the weekend, Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham, who have parroted President Trump’s rhetoric on COVID throughout, garnered massive backlash after they posted pictures on social media of themselves receiving the vaccine. But Harris believes that leaders of both parties getting the vaccine could help urge people to do the same, as many Americans are still skeptical of the vaccine.

When asked about it by host Joy Reid, Harris answered, “Honestly, Joy, I want that everyone gets it. We could talk about where they’ve been on the issue, but I hope and I believe that anybody who’s in a position of leadership right now should be urging all Americans, again, regardless of their party affiliation, should be encouraging them that when it is their time, they should get this vaccine.” Harris added, “The reality is that it is literally about saving lives. It is literally about saving life.”

Video Transcript

JOY REID: How do you feel about some of these Republican politicians being at the front of the line for the vaccine?

KAMALA HARRIS: Honestly, Joy, I want that everyone gets it.

- Amid growing anger online as some Republicans who downplayed COVID-19 became some of the first to receive the vaccine-- like senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham-- Vice President-elect Kamala Harris appeared on "The ReidOut" Monday night, where she said she supports it. Many Americans are skeptical of the vaccine, and Harris believes that leaders of both parties getting it may urge others to do the same.

KAMALA HARRIS: We could talk about where they've been on the issue, but I hope and I believe that anybody who is in a position of leadership right now should be urging all Americans-- again, regardless of the party affiliation.

- On a night when Congress passed a bipartisan COVID relief bill, Harris said that lawmakers, especially those who got the vaccine after downplaying the virus, still have a responsibility to make sure the vaccine will be available for every American.

KAMALA HARRIS: I hope that all of those people who you are speaking of understand it is their responsibility-- I dare say their moral responsibility to understand that the American people deserve just what they got, which is to have that vaccine.

- And to Harris, the vaccine is bigger than party politics.

KAMALA HARRIS: The reality is that it is literally about saving lives. It is literally about saving life.