Harris on if she’d serve as Biden’s VP: ‘I’d be honored to serve with Joe’

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said Thursday she would be “honored” to serve as former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate if asked, but said that her current focus is on addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

MSNBC’s Craig Melvin played a clip of Biden recalling that former President Obama told him there wasn’t “a single important issue” they disagreed on. Asked if Harris fit the same description, Biden replied, “I think so,” but said he had not spoken directly to Harris on the matter.

“I have been focused 100 percent on this pandemic,” Harris said when asked if she had spoken recently with Biden.

“Obviously I would be honored if I were being considered, but I have to tell you right now my entire focus has been on what we need to do to get relief to Americans right now, because 22 million Americans as of today, just in the last few weeks, are unemployed. People are trying to figure out how to feed their babies and pay their rent,” she continued.

“I think what’s most important is that we all join together, that we unify the party, that we unify the country and that we elect Joe Biden because Donald Trump does not know how to do the job,” she added.

Pressed by Melvin on whether she would accept if Biden asks her to serve as his vice president, Harris responded, “Obviously I’d be honored to serve with Joe.”

Biden has pledged to name a woman as his running mate. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who like Harris is a former competitor who has since endorsed Biden’s bid, told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night that she would accept if asked to serve as Biden’s running mate.

The former vice president has said he is working from a shortlist of six to 10 candidates, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), though has not released a full list. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams also said Wednesday that she would make an “excellent” running mate.