Kamala Harris answers two questions about the state of transition and the possibility of President Trump’s run in the 2024 election.
The Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrived on Saturday at 12:13 at the Downtown DC holiday market in Penn Quarter for a Small Business Saturday event. She was out of the market by 12:39.
Harris was joined by her husband, Doug Emhoff, and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who brought her young daughter. Social distancing and Secret Service did not lead to much color, and certainly not much color that was audible/visible to the pool beyond people shouting “Congratulations!” and cheering, but some bits:
She bought two puzzles at the New York Puzzle Company, which Emhoff paid for as the merchant took a photo of her through the plexiglass barrier.
At Marcella Kriebel Art and Illustration, she eyed a print of different types of coffee. Instead, she picked a print of different kinds of cheeses.
At the Made in DC tent, she laughed when seeing a light blue Madam Vice President shirt and said, “Really?!” She was more interested in the scented candles until Emhoff got it off the rack for her and she posed with it. He bought it for her.
At the end, she made a short statement and took two questions.
Kamala Harris: I was there to celebrate the small businesses that are here, but to celebrate small businesses all over our country. They’re suffering. We want to support our small businesses they are always really an essential part of the lifeblood of the community, part of the civic and social fabric of the community. And sadly, since COVID, started one in four small businesses in our country has closed. We know that we’re going to get beyond this virus, and we want to make sure that we sustain these small businesses to help them through this moment, so they can continue to do what they do, which is really about being not only business leaders, but they are civic leaders. And again, they’re part of the culture and part of the vitality of communities. So we’re here to celebrate our small businesses and of course, I want to thank the mayor for hosting.
Question 1: How it could be true what she and the president-elect have been saying that they’ve been able to make a functional transition happen with President Trump and Vice President Pence refusing to participate themselves?
Harris basically ducked:
“We are clear about the job that we have in front of us, and the American people deserve that the incoming administration focuses on what’s important and what is important is getting a handle on this virus opening back up our small businesses and focusing on the experts in all areas. As you know we’ve been meeting with everyone from labor leaders to heads of Fortune 500 companies. We are meeting with mayors we’re meeting with governors—bipartisan. And that’s what we’re going to continue to do, which is focus on the issues that the American people deserve their leaders are paying attention to.”
Question number 2: given that Trump has been making motions about running again in 2024, if Biden and she would be ready to face him again if so?
She made a scoffing sound. “Please,” she said and broke out laughing. She quickly thanked the pool and ended the gaggle.
Background from the transition:
The 16th Annual Downtown Holiday Market, Washington D.C.’s outdoor shopping village, kicked off the holiday season on Friday, November 20. The outdoor market continues to support small businesses and entrepreneurs across the region, welcoming shoppers for a safe, secure and enhanced shopping experience in the heart of the District this year.
The Downtown Holiday Market will feature more than 70 exhibitors including Black-owned and minority-owned businesses from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development’s (DSLBD) Made in DC program, and fashion from the BID’s District of Fashion Show local designer collections.
Stop 1: Marcella Kriebel Art & Illustration
Watercolors, Kitchen Towels, and Illustrated Cookbooks that celebrate culture through the lens of food. An internship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum brought Marcella to Washington DC, and after, she maintained a full-time position working in museum exhibit installation. She has remained in DC as a working artist since 2011, dividing her time between commissioned murals and expanding her collection of original watercolor art prints for sale at a variety of market venues and online.
Stop 2: The Pop-Up Collaborative: Made In DC / Black Owned
Handmade gifts including apparel, body care, and accessories by women and minority-owned business. The Pop-Up Collaborative’s goal is to address the market barriers for women- and minority-owned brands by providing a space for owners to sell their products and increase their revenue and brand exposure. The collaborative community provides collaboration, support, and creative inspiration.