Vice President Kamala Harris addressed new reports about Donald Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin during her appearance on Tuesday's episode The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
In journalist Bob Woodward's new book, published Tuesday, an unnamed aide reported that Trump has spoken to Putin up to seven times since leaving the White House. Other claims included information about Trump sending COVID tests to Putin while he was in office, at the height of the pandemic.
Harris admitted Tuesday that she had not yet read the book, but said, “Donald Trump: He openly admires dictators and authoritarians. He said he would like to be a dictator from day one if he were elected president again. He's played by these guys. He admires so-called strong men and is teased for flattering him or offering him favor.
He also directly addressed COVID testing reports. “I ask everyone present and everyone watching: do you remember what those days were like? Remember how many people didn't have tests and were trying to rush to get them?
He became angry as he continued to talk about his opponent's connection to Russia, saying. “The commander in chief of the United States of America must stand strong and defend the principles we hold dear. We should stand with our allies. We should strengthen the alliances we have, like NATO, which is the strongest military alliance the world has ever seen. We must stand with our friend Ukraine, where Russia is trying to change the borders by force.”
Harris added: “And this man is giving Covid test kits to Vladimir Putin? Think about what it means to him to send love letters to Kim Jong Un… He thinks, well, that's his friend. What about the American people? They should be your first friend.
Elsewhere in the interview, Colbert asked the Democratic nominee about Hurricane Helene, which recently devastated North Carolina, and Hurricane Milton, a strong storm headed toward Florida. Harris urged people to listen to local officials and criticized politicians who “tell lies” for political gain.
“It's crude,” he said. “Have you no empathy, friend, for the suffering of others? Do you have no purpose if you claim to be a leader?
Regarding the war between Israel and Hamas, Harris said that she and President Biden are close to a ceasefire agreement. “Closed means a lot of details have been worked out but details remain,” he said. “And so there has been some progress, but it doesn't make sense unless an agreement is actually reached, so I don't want to suggest to you that we should be applauded for getting closer, at times, to an agreement.”
The vice president also talked about her debate performance and weighed in on the viral image of herself with her chin resting on her hand. When Colbert asked her what she was thinking at the time, she replied, “It's family TV, right? It starts with a W, there's a letter in the middle, then the last letter is F.”
Along with the late night host, Harris also opened a can of Miller High Life and said, “The last time I drank beer was at a baseball game with Doug [Emhoff].”
Of the whirlwind campaign that only began in July after Joe Biden's retirement, Harris said: “There's a lot of catching up to do. My opponent, the former president, has been running since 2020… People are exhausted from Donald Trump's tired old agenda… People are ready to move on.”
The full interview will air on Late show with Stephen Colbert Tuesday at 11.35pm.