TRANSCRIPT: Kamala Harris’ Full Interview on the Howard Stern Show

I grew up kind of hip-hop. But Prince is the one intersection where we both love. And we just played Prince all night long. We danced. We sang his songs. It was, that was our little tribute.

HOWARD STERN: Did you ever meet Prince in real life?

KAMALA HARRIS: I never met him in real life.

HOWARD STERN: Wow. I went to see him. This is such a weird story. Forget me. Forget my story.

HOWARD STERN: Tell me, though.

KAMALA HARRIS: I want to hear it.

HOWARD STERN: Well, it’s very strange because I was a huge Prince fan like you. And a friend called me, we’d worked on a book with him of pictures. And he said, Prince is going to perform for about 150 people. Come over. And I said, I’m going. Go over. He comes out. And he announces to the crowd, turn off all the lights. And he’s playing in the dark the entire time. I left. I said, this is ridiculous. I could listen to this on the radio. He didn’t want to be seen.

KAMALA HARRIS: And he wanted you to feel it with your ears and your spirit instead of your eyes.

HOWARD STERN: But ridiculous. I’m finally going to see Prince.

KAMALA HARRIS: What time of night was it? He was famously a night owl.

KAMALA HARRIS: It was early. It was an early session. It was like a special promotional thing.

Political Career and Self-Promotion

HOWARD STERN: It makes me think of you because you’ve said, sort of running for office, even when you ran as a DA or an attorney general, you said, I don’t like talking about myself. It feels I was raised not to be a narcissist. And here you’re, you know, the other guy is so only talking about himself. But it’s weird. It’s odd for you to talk about your accomplishments and sort of congratulate yourself.

KAMALA HARRIS: I just have always, again, you’re right. I was raised this way. It’s not about you. It’s about what you do. And so it is, it feels immodest to me to talk about myself, which apparently I’m doing right now.

HOWARD STERN: Right. But you have to, right?

KAMALA HARRIS: And a friend of mine actually said, look, this is not a time to worry about modesty because this is, you know, obviously, you got to let people know who you are.

The Pressure of the Moment

HOWARD STERN: When you said you don’t nap, I get it. Because like what you’ve taken on is extraordinarily difficult. And I mean, do you feel the pressure of the moment in the sense that, like when I met you out in the hall, I said, I’m really nervous because I want this to go well for you. I want it to go well for the country. Even when I watch them on Saturday Night Live would be where they have Maya Rudolph playing you. I hate it. I don’t want you being made fun of. There’s too much at stake.

I believe the entire future of this country right now. I mean, as America land of the free home of the brave, I think it’s literally on the line. And when I see them, how did you react to this Saturday Night Live?

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, I just saw it actually. And it was funny. I am a huge fan of Maya Rudolph. I think she’s put a lot of time into doing the piece and the character. But to your point, I literally lose sleep and have been over. What is at stake in this election? I mean, honestly, I end the day pretty much every day these days asking myself, what can I do more?

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. And what can you do? I mean, you’re going out, you’re talking, you’re coming here, you’re going, you went on the view this morning. You’re going to the shows. You did 60 Minutes. By the way, I thought what was so amazing about 60 Minutes is the fact that Trump turned it down.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: I mean, it just says so much. He didn’t want to be fact checked. This is maddening. This is insanity. What do you mean you don’t want to be fact checked?

The Stakes of the Election

KAMALA HARRIS: I think that, you know, Howard, people ask me, like, what do you think is going on? And what, what is the tension here? What’s at stake? And there are many things, and I can be much more articulate than what I’m going to say. But ultimately I do believe that this is an election that is about strength versus weakness, and weakness as projected by someone who puts himself in front of the American people and does not have the strength to stand in defense of their needs, their dreams, their desires, the work that must happen to make sure that we are a secure nation. That we are nurturing and protecting our alliances around the world, that we are supporting America’s military, that we are fighting to bring the cost of living down for working families, that we are building businesses, building growth.

HOWARD STERN: Did you ever think in your lifetime you would see a Republican not supporting NATO and wanting to disassemble NATO? I mean, what world do we live in?

KAMALA HARRIS: And NATO, which is the greatest military alliance the world has ever known.

HOWARD STERN: It’s what my father’s —

KAMALA HARRIS: Strength. That is strength. So to embrace that alliance as America, as Americans, and he would walk away because he admires dictators.

Trump’s Relationship with Putin

HOWARD STERN: Well, what did you think — what did you think of this thing that just came out today that Bob Woodward’s book was saying that Trump was sending COVID tests to Putin and Putin said, don’t let anyone know. I mean, this is — what is going on. What do you make of that?

KAMALA HARRIS: So I actually said it even in the debate. I believe that Donald Trump has this desire to be a dictator. He admires strong men and he gets played by them, because he thinks that they’re his friends and they are manipulating him full time — and manipulating him by flattery and with favor. And so in the midst, to your point, as reported by Bob Woodward, in the height of the pandemic, and remember, and your listeners will remember, people were dying by the hundreds. Everybody was scrambling to get these kits, the tests, the COVID test kits. Couldn’t get them. Couldn’t get them anywhere.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: And this guy who is president of the United States is sending them to Russia, to a murderous dictator for his personal use?

HOWARD STERN: Who you only wish Putin would have gotten COVID and dropped dead. I wish that.

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, the point being, that is just the most recent stark example of who Donald Trump is. That he secretly sent COVID test kits for the personal use of Putin, of Russia, an adversary to the United States. When he was talking about Americans should be putting bleach in their blood. Think about what this is. Think about this person who wants to be president again, who secretly is helping out an adversary when the American people are dying by the hundreds every day and in need of relief. And instead, how did he handle it domestically from Americans? He mismanaged the whole thing.

The Closeness of the Election

HOWARD STERN: This is what keeps me up at night. I don’t understand how my fellow Americans, I don’t even understand how this election is close. And yes, I’m voting for you, but I would also vote for that wall over there. Rather than a guy who says, where do I begin? A guy who says he doesn’t support Ukraine, wouldn’t get on that stage with you and say, Ukraine? And why do my fellow Americans want this kind of chaos overseas? Why?

KAMALA HARRIS: To your point, doesn’t support our friend Ukraine, doesn’t support, therefore, something America should always, and has always, by the way, been a champion of, which is the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity, which means the importance of standing against anyone who tries to take another nation by force. That’s what we stand for as Americans, that you don’t do that. And if you do that to our friends, we’re going to stand with our friends. You’re getting played.

And some would say, look, I grew up in the neighborhood. Some would say you’re getting punked.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: If you stand in favor of somebody who’s an adversary over your friends on principles that we all agree on. And you look at it, it’s not only that. He says he’s going to be a dictator on day one. Understand what dictators do. They jail journalists. They put people who are protesting in the street in jail.

HOWARD STERN: He said he thinks he wants to go after Jimmy Kimmel, a comedian. He wants to go after Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers. You know, even if someone had said years ago, and I remember presidential races, if someone said, oh, Kamala Harris isn’t a black woman, that would have been it. It would have been over. I mean, how do you challenge that? What do you do with that?

KAMALA HARRIS: But back to the point about what it actually is, and then let’s talk about it and call it what it is. It’s a sign of weakness in a leader. Do not stand in defense of your people, the American people. It’s a sign of weakness in the commander in chief of the United States of America. Do not stand on the side of supporting your military. Don’t forget Donald Trump calling members of our military prisoners of war, suckers and losers.

HOWARD STERN: John McCain, he doesn’t like him because he got captured.

KAMALA HARRIS: He says he doesn’t like him because I don’t like people who got caught. A prisoner of war, an American hero.

Think about this guy who, by the way, his former chief of staff, two secretaries of defense, his national security advisor, people who served with Donald Trump in the White House, have said he is unfit to be commander in chief and is dangerous. So the people who know him best have let us know. They’ve seen him. They’ve worked with him in the Oval Office, and they know he is dangerous and unfit to be president of the United States.

HOWARD STERN: I mean, his own vice president isn’t voting for him.

KAMALA HARRIS: That’s exactly right.

HOWARD STERN: I mean, how could anyone justify any of this? I don’t get it. It’s madness. And I know Donald Trump so many years. He was at my wedding. I always had a good time with him, but not as president as the United States. You can’t come out with these wacky eating cats and dogs. And now these poor people who are living in these communities are getting threatened. You can’t dine with Nazis. You can’t do it.

The Vice Presidential Debate

KAMALA HARRIS: The thing about the cats and dogs, and again.

HOWARD STERN: When you were doing the debate, what was going through your mind when he said the cats and dogs? Did you say to yourself, I just won this thing? This guy is self-destructing. Did you say it to yourself, or did you not know in the moment?

KAMALA HARRIS: There were a couple of moments, at least in the debate, where it was surreal. Honestly. We’re in a debate before it turned out, I think, 60 million Americans who are tuning in, meaning they’re not dealing with all of their other priorities because they want to hear a debate about who will be the next president of the United States. And they want to know where do they stand on the issues and how will they lead and how will they make a difference in my life.

And one of those two people, Donald Trump, on that stage, spent time talking about how people are eating pets. One of those people on stage spent full time talking about his personal grievances about himself, full time, instead of talking about the needs of the American people.

And I actually, there were moments when I was on that debate stage where I was, you know, I knew what he does at his rallies, but this was a very serious moment that earned the votes of the American people. And he was talking about things that were factually untrue and quite ridiculous, but also not talking about a plan for dealing with bringing down the cost of groceries, not talking about a plan for building up American businesses, not talking about a plan for strengthening America’s security and standing with our allies and against our adversaries.

HOWARD STERN: When I was watching the debate, what drove me nuts, and I was there debating with you, I was like, say that, say that. And you said it. You said, well, this guy is talking, his big issue is immigration. Okay, fair enough. There’s an immigration problem. And you made the point. You said, you know, it’s great that you’re for immigration, but we had this fantastic bill that would have secured the border. Republicans and Democrats did it together.

But you picked up the phone and called the Republicans and said reject your own bill. Now, when you say something like that, you’d think it would be the end of the discussion. The guy put his campaign ahead of we could have solved this big problem. We would have had the resources, the money, everything. And yet he’s somehow during the debate, it somehow just goes away. I mean, to me it should be like we don’t move on until we answer that. Why did you cancel the bill?

KAMALA HARRIS: And, Howard, to your point, the bill is and would have been the strongest border security bill in years. It would have put 1,500 more border agents at the border. I’ve been down to the border. Those border agents are working around the clock. They need help. They need support. And this bill would have done that. In fact, the border patrol agents have supported the bill. It would have stemmed the flow of fentanyl. I’m traveling in our country meeting with mothers and fathers and children of people who have died because of fentanyl. This would have put the resources into stemming the flow of fentanyl coming into our country, killing Americans.

It would have done work to allow us to go after transnational criminal organizations. I am a former prosecutor, as you know. I have prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who are trafficking guns, drugs, and human beings. This is not theoretical for me. I know what they do, and we should have the resources to go after them.

HOWARD STERN: Don’t you want to say to the people who support him, what are you not hearing? Are you not hearing that we had a bill to solve this big problem? You’re all afraid of this. We understand that. I mean, I hear these interviews of people who are voting in the other direction, and I don’t understand. It’s all chaos. It doesn’t make any sense to me.

Early Career as a Prosecutor

HOWARD STERN: Speaking about being a district attorney and a prosecutor, I’m curious about that phase of your life. So you go to law school, and really it’s sort of against all odds. But what’s fascinating to me is you get out of law school, and you get a job as a prosecutor.

KAMALA HARRIS: In Alameda County, the state of Oakland, California.

HOWARD STERN: And what prepares you to go? In other words, at first I assume you go in front of a jury, and they give you some kind of easy case, I’m hoping. Like maybe—

KAMALA HARRIS: You start with DUIs.

HOWARD STERN: DUIs. Were you a wreck the first time out of law school, and you go in front of a real jury, in front of a real judge, and you have to prosecute, even though it’s a DUI? What is that moment like for you?

KAMALA HARRIS: So I started by actually—the first case I actually prosecuted was when I was a certified law clerk. And I won the case. But the great thing about just pushing people out when they’re young, they don’t know any better.

HOWARD STERN: You weren’t nervous?

KAMALA HARRIS: I was nervous, and I was probably over-prepared. But I believed in my case. And the great thing about being a prosecutor, and I’ve talked with many prosecutors over the years all over the country, is you only got one job, which is to do the right thing.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: And so you have to believe in your case. And frankly, if you don’t believe in your case, you shouldn’t be bringing your case, right? You shouldn’t be charging a case unless you believe this person is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and you have the evidence to prove it. You shouldn’t be making decisions based on emotion. You should be making decisions based on facts and the law.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: So I believed in my case, but that work actually—I had a mentor, [Dick Eichelhardt], who actually hired me as a prosecutor right out of law school. And I was just telling somebody. So the interview—you want to know what the interview was like?

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: So I go into this courthouse. It’s the Story Courthouse in Oakland, California. And I go up to the ninth floor, and I go into this office, and there are a bunch of wooden chairs. And there are these guys who are behind the desk and in these chairs around. One’s got his leg up, his foot up on the seat of the chair, leaning over. All these guys. And I’m sitting in this little wooden chair, and they’re asking me all these questions. It’s my big interview. You know what the interview was—the questions were from? You remember that game, Scruples?

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. That was the question?

KAMALA HARRIS: That was my interview. So asking you things like, well, if you were a poor student in an apartment, and then your neighbor says, hey, I got a hookup on cable, would you do it if you don’t have to pay for questions like that? But that’s how I started my career as a prosecutor. Believing in the work, obviously.

Early Life and Influences

HOWARD STERN: But the career really started. Your mom, single mom, working hard. We’ve read a lot about your mother. Bright woman, scientist, chemist. Father was also an academic. Bright people. But your mother moves you to Montreal, I think it was, in Canada?

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah, when I was in high school, just before high school.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. So when you were there, one of your friends was sexually molested by a relative.

KAMALA HARRIS: Her stepfather.

HOWARD STERN: Stepfather. Yeah. And was then you knew you wanted to go to law school because you wanted to be the person that people turned to when they were in dire straits?

KAMALA HARRIS: I always knew I wanted to go to law school. I mean, part of some of my heroes were people like Thurgood Marshall, you know, who understood the power of the law to take the passion from the streets to the courtrooms. But when I decided I wanted to be a prosecutor, a big part of it had to do with Wanda’s experience. And I just felt like there has to be, and I want to be part of a system that is protecting vulnerable people.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. It’s public service.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah, it is. And it’s, I don’t know, I’ve always, maybe, you know, I’m the eldest of two kids. You know, when I was two years, starting from when I was two years old, my mother would say, look after your sister. You know, it’s an instinct of mine to want to protect people.

HOWARD STERN: But I think that’s what people need to know. Certainly to me, you know, public service is such a great thing. But when you graduate law school and, you know, you have to pay a lot of money to go to law school.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: The temptation is to take a big corporate job.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah, that wasn’t for me.

Challenging Cases as a Prosecutor

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. But that’s the difference. That’s another thing I really like about you. And, you know, when you first become, okay, you know, you start with these DUIs and stuff. But, you know, being a DA, then suddenly a prosecutor, you start to take on gangs.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yes.

HOWARD STERN: You’ve written that you had to face a guy who scalped his girlfriend.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: Scalped his girlfriend. Gang guys. Did you fear for your life? Did you ever, did your mother even said to you, what are you doing? You went to law school. It’s a scary profession, right? It’s no nonsense.

KAMALA HARRIS: I mean, I’ve always been clear-eyed about what’s involved. And, yeah, there are threats and all that. But the good that you can do standing in front of a jury and saying to that jury that this mother’s child should not have been killed. To say that this person who is engaged in human trafficking should pay a consequence. To say that, you know, that people should receive dignity and that there has to be serious consequence for serious crime. I just, I think that’s some of the most important work that anyone can do, which is to require that we have a society that does not allow in particular for violence and that kind of behavior to go without consequence, serious consequence.

HOWARD STERN: It’s really weird, too, because to me, you’re the law and order candidate. And yet they try to paint you like you’re some leftist who, I don’t know, who wants to have people running through the streets committing crimes. You were a prosecutor.

KAMALA HARRIS: I have put a lot of people in jail. I have personally prosecuted everything from, you know, child sexual assault to homicides. And then as attorney general, transnational criminal organization which I took on as a leader.

HOWARD STERN: But, you know, the story that got me was this six year old girl when you were a prosecutor. It was a six year old girl who you felt would not be able to recount to the jury the abuse that was going on in her home. And you had to walk away. You had to say to yourself, oh, God, I can’t put this kid through it. She won’t win the case. And knowing she’s going to go home to this father or whatever it was, stepfather who was abusing her. That kind of work, you take it home. I mean, it has to eat at your soul because you probably went home that night. So that little girl’s in the house with her abuser.

KAMALA HARRIS: It was one of the most difficult cases I’ve ever handled. I, to this day, remember exactly when I realized that that was what was going to happen. To this day, I remember where I was. I remember exactly how I felt. And I still think about that and her. You know, as a prosecutor, I spent, I would go up to the parents of homicide victims. Would have a meeting every Thursday evening. No DA had gone up there. And I would go up and join them for their meetings.

HOWARD STERN: Wow.

KAMALA HARRIS: And talk with them about and basically figure out what we needed to do more to figure out who the killer of their child was. And to be able to then bring those cases to justice. It’s — I think it’s very important that we all agree that look — as a society, there has to be a serious consequence. But the one person killing another human being, a woman being raped, a child being molested, there has to be serious consequence. And that’s the work I’ve always done for the majority of my career.

And I feel very strongly about it. And I think that people should be able to live in a society where they feel safe. I think of safety as a civil right. And all people have the right to be safe. Because think about a society that doesn’t have that where then people are constantly worried about something unexpected happening to them. That’s not going to be a productive society.

Threats and Personal Safety

HOWARD STERN: So when you went after gang members, I’m talking about people who traffic to traffic drugs and this and that kind of thing. Were you ever directly threatened by these people? They said, hey, you better just shut this down or you’re going to get it.

KAMALA HARRIS: I’ve definitely had death threats.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: I don’t generally talk about them.

HOWARD STERN: Right. Why don’t you talk about it? Because you don’t want to encourage any kind of nuts out there or is it because it just is too — it’s just too hard to confront.

KAMALA HARRIS: I refuse to live in fear of the bad guys.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. Well, it’s very brave.

KAMALA HARRIS: I just — I’m not going to — I’m not doing that. I’m not doing that.

Supreme Court Nominations and Abortion Rights

HOWARD STERN: Does it infuriate you to that? First of all, it’s something drives me nuts with Obama’s presidency. He had the opportunity to appoint someone to the Supreme Court. Mitch McConnell goes, if you you’re not appointing anyone to the Supreme Court, basically, you’re the sitting president, United States. The basic unfairness of that makes me insane. It makes me feel like America’s going down the tubes. How can this be? The president could not appoint a Supreme Court justice. And now we have a Supreme Court. You know what you want? You want to get an abortion? You don’t want to get abortion. I trust any woman to make that decision for herself. What is this? I don’t want Donald Trump and his party deciding. I don’t want Clarence Thomas deciding.

KAMALA HARRIS: But here’s the thing that is, again. Really important that people understand about who Donald Trump is. He hand selected three members of the United States Supreme Court to do exactly what they did. Take away the right of an individual to make decisions about their own body. Like I ask people to take a step back. Let’s — let’s just think about it this way. Let’s — whatever your gender. And it’s not about abortion. You have basically now a system that says you as an individual do not have the right to make a decision about your own body. The government has the right to make that decision for you.

So regardless of how you feel about abortion, think about what that means. You know, the strength of America includes that we have been committed as Americans. It’s part of our spirit to the expansion of rights. For the first time, we’re seeing a restriction of rights. Fundamental rights, including what could be more fundamental than to make decisions about your own body. And that’s what has happened.

Howard, to your point, look, this is not — this issue is not about trying to convert people. Right.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: Because one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree. The government shouldn’t be telling her what to do with her body. She will talk with her priest or pastor, her rabbi, her imam, but not the government.

Concerns About Future Rights

HOWARD STERN: Well, here’s what I worry about. You got a guy who says probably you don’t really need to vote if I win. You got a guy who says, hey, we’re not stopping here. You know, gay rights are next.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: You know it.

KAMALA HARRIS: Thomas said it.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. I mean, who doesn’t have, you know, here’s the crazy thing to me. Who doesn’t have gay people in their life, whether it’s your kid, whether it’s your best friend, whether it’s the genie is out of the bottle, guys.

KAMALA HARRIS: And to your point, think about it. You know, so I actually was proud to perform some of the first same sex marriages as an elected official in 2004. A lot of people have evolved since then, but back in 2004. Here’s how I think about it. We actually had laws that were treating people based on their sexual orientation differently. So if you’re a gay couple, you can’t get married. We were basically saying that you are a second class citizen under the law, not entitled to the same rights as a couple who are consenting adults in a loving relationship. You, therefore, when one of you is sick, when one, God forbid, passes away, will not have the same legal rights. We’re saying literally you’re a second class citizen under the law.

And now you see the court that Donald Trump created that is openly talking about what else could be at risk. And understand, if Donald Trump were to get another term. Most of the legal scholars think that there’s going to be maybe even two more seats that will be up. That means think about it, not for the next four years, for the next 40 years, for the next four generations of your family. What might be a Supreme Court that is about restricting your rights versus expanding your rights?

Concerns About Presidential Immunity

HOWARD STERN: What do you think, too, of these judges basically saying whatever Trump does in office is OK, including as fascinating as opponents, because he’s doing it for the good of the country. What the hell is going on here? You’re the prosecutor. You’re the attorney general. What is going on here? Is this America?

KAMALA HARRIS: So to your point, that’s where everyone, I think, is starting to understand this election is not 2016 or 2020 because that Supreme Court decision just a few months ago basically said to the former president, you will be immune from anything you do in office. Now, this is a guy who has said he’ll be a dictator on day one. I said he would weaponize the Department of Justice, take away the independence of the Department of Justice and put his loyalist in somebody who said literally he would use this word. He uses this word. He would terminate the Constitution of the United States.

You know what the Constitution of the United States does? That’s the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable search and seizure. That’s the Fifth Amendment, which is your right to remain silent. That’s the Sixth Amendment, your right to an attorney. And he’s going to terminate the Constitution.

Concerns About Personal Safety

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. Let me ask you this. If he wins, God forbid, would you feel safe in this country? Would you stay in this country?

KAMALA HARRIS: Howard, I’m doing everything I can to make sure he does not win.

HOWARD STERN: What if he does? How can you be safe? He’s saying, oh, I’m just going to do whatever the hell I want. This time I know what I need to do.

Building a Coalition

KAMALA HARRIS: You know what? All of those former officials from national security, the over 200 Republicans who worked with both Presidents Bush, Mitt Romney, John McCain, who are endorsing me, the former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was voting for me along with his daughter Liz Cheney.

We are building a coalition of people that are Republicans, independents, Democrats, libertarians, all stripes of Americans who are coming together to say, you know what, this election is about putting country before party. This is about saying, do we want a president who’s going to abide by the oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States or someone who is full time engaged in flattery from Vladimir Putin of Russia and sending COVID testing kits over to him when Americans are dying every day?

HOWARD STERN: It’s remarkable. By the way, you have said something I’ve been screaming about for years. I believe the United States postal. I believe you can tell a society by its post office. You go overseas. You can’t get a letter. The post office here in the United States is so fantastic. We don’t — we take things for granted.

Right now, we’re taking for granted how good things are. We really are. And you have said, and I was thinking back to when Trump was president. Remember who he appointed to be in charge of the post office? I remember the chaos at the post office. I couldn’t get a letter.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah,

HOWARD STERN: That’s enough. I don’t know. I don’t know. I just I don’t get it.

KAMALA HARRIS: But here’s the thing. Let’s not throw up our hands. Let’s roll up our sleeves because this doesn’t have to. But this is our country. And you know what? If you love our country, we’ve got to fight for our country. We can’t take our country for granted. I love our country. I love the American people. And what I see when I’m traveling all over our country is that people are coming together of all different backgrounds. Based on a common belief that if you love something, you got to fight for it. And that’s this moment. That’s this moment. And we are — we can have our disagreements, but there’s some foundational stuff that we got to agree on. And it includes rule of law. Free and fair elections should not be overturned just because you didn’t like the outcome because you lost.

Trump’s Election Claims

HOWARD STERN: Now, let’s talk about that for a second. How crazy. How do you vote for someone who says, if I win, it was a fair election. If I lose. Kamala Harris and her buddies fixed it. That’s delusional that you can’t have that. You can certainly not storm the Capitol when you’re the sitting president United States in America.

KAMALA HARRIS: We call that a sore loser. And in this case, this is someone who has already lost, which would say that they are actually already a loser.

HOWARD STERN: And how do you vote for someone who says, find me 11000 votes? What is that? It’s on tape. What is so crazy? When you ran for Senate, it was bittersweet, right? You won which is great. But you said I ate a whole bag of Doritos that night. That’s your thing. Doritos.

KAMALA HARRIS: I love Doritos. Original nacho. But let me just tell you, it was a family size.

HOWARD STERN: Wow. But you’re in good shape. Were you like —

KAMALA HARRIS: I work out every morning?

HOWARD STERN: Did you work out this morning?

KAMALA HARRIS: I did.

HOWARD STERN: Where did you work out?

KAMALA HARRIS: On the elliptical at the hotel.

HOWARD STERN: They bring one up to your room.

KAMALA HARRIS: Nice.

HOWARD STERN: How long do you go on the elliptical?

KAMALA HARRIS: Half an hour to 45 minutes.

HOWARD STERN: You’re not bored out of your skull on that thing?

KAMALA HARRIS: I’m watching a variety of things.

HOWARD STERN: Morning Joe?

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah, sometimes.

HOWARD STERN: I love that guy.

KAMALA HARRIS: I do too. Joe Scarborough.

HOWARD STERN: A former Republican. He can’t vote in his own party. He loves our country.

KAMALA HARRIS: I don’t agree with him on every issue, but we agree on I think the most important at this moment for sure.

Diet and Breakfast Habits

HOWARD STERN: Why are you eating for breakfast Raisin Bran, I read? I feel for someone who’s healthy, why Raisin Bran? There’s a lot of sugar.

KAMALA HARRIS: No, so I don’t eat Raisin Bran every morning. But if you ask me what was my favorite cereal, I would put it right up there with, okay, now this is going to be obnoxious and Special K.

HOWARD STERN: Special K is…

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, it’s really great. Plus, my mother used to make these Special K cookies in honor of me.

HOWARD STERN: Can you imagine if your mother was alive and saw her daughter running for President of the United States?

KAMALA HARRIS: I miss her every day.

HOWARD STERN: She was something, huh?

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah, she was very special. All five feet of her. You would have loved her. If you met her, you would have thought she was six feet tall.

HOWARD STERN: When she worked in a chemical lab and she worked on developing cures for breast cancer.

KAMALA HARRIS: Correct.

HOWARD STERN: You would go with her as a little girl and clean the test tubes.

KAMALA HARRIS: That was my first job and that was awful. She fired me.

HOWARD STERN: Because why?

KAMALA HARRIS: Because I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to clean pipettes.

Early Education and Busing

HOWARD STERN: Was it a weird time in your life? I think a couple of defining moments would be not only going to law school but even going back in time. Here you’re living in Oakland.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: And they decide to bus the black kids to the white school and they put you on a bus and bus you there.

KAMALA HARRIS: It was actually the Flatlands of Berkeley at the time.

HOWARD STERN: Did you see, were kids openly hostile to you?

KAMALA HARRIS: When we arrived at school?

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: I didn’t have that experience. Let me tell you, maybe this is one of the reasons why. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Frances Wilson, God rest her soul, attended my law school graduation.

HOWARD STERN: Wow.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yes.

HOWARD STERN: You mean you actually had relationships with your teachers?

KAMALA HARRIS: Yes.

HOWARD STERN: Oh, that’s so healthy.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yes.

HOWARD STERN: How did you know to do that? How did you know?

KAMALA HARRIS: It’s what she did. And that’s what I’m saying. I love teachers. I really do. They do God’s work. Think about it. We don’t pay them nearly enough. And what is their calling? To teach other people’s children. Right? So when you ask me what was that like? What was the environment like? I think it was all of those incredible teachers who they set an example and they created an environment that was welcoming and nurturing.

I’m very blessed to have been raised, and people I talk to who have achieved any level of success, one of the things that I’ve found to be a theme is that at some point we were each told, be it by a teacher or somebody at your church or your synagogue or a parent. But we were told at some point that we were special. And by the way, we were not particularly special. But somebody told us that and we believed them.

HOWARD STERN: Right. Otherwise you’d be a wreck.

KAMALA HARRIS: Right. And that’s part of, you know, I had the blessing of, you know, in my childhood, especially in those really critical stages of development, to have a teacher like Mrs. Wilson and in an environment that really told all the kids you can be and do anything.

Dealing with Pressure and Seeking Support

HOWARD STERN: Do you? I’m wondering about this. With all this pressure on you right now, and you’ve got to win, you know, you just have to. I really believe we’re in for the darkest skies on the planet, like the sun’s literally going to go out. This is how I feel. And God bless you for doing this, because I’m really afraid that people, good people, bright people are discouraged from going into public service now.

They’re like, I don’t need it. I don’t want to be threatened. I don’t want to be told that, you know, I’m for science and I’m an idiot. You know, you know, it’s the whole thing is crazy. With all the pressure on you if there’s like you can’t go to a therapist, can you? And say, yeah, I want to I want to unload a little bit here.

KAMALA HARRIS: My form of therapy. Right.

HOWARD STERN: With me. But seriously.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: Because there’s still that one taboo in politics. If you go to a therapist, you’re weak and you’re probably insane. And to me, going with therapists means you’re sane. Like you’re trying to work on yourself. I only wish Donald would go.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: You know, I don’t know how easily you cure that narcissism at this point. But can you — could you go and talk to someone like a therapist and get therapy?

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, let me just tell you, I have the great fortune of having a really incredible group of friends. My best friend from kindergarten is still one of my best friends.

HOWARD STERN: Really?

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah. I have an incredible husband. And so I do have people in my life that I can talk to. And one of the things I advise others is. You know, especially younger people, I’ve mentored a lot of people, men and women.

HOWARD STERN: What do you mean by that? When you mentor someone like a young kid comes to you and says, gee, I’m thinking of going to law school, I’m lost or.

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, just people I’ll meet along the way who will express to me some goal or some desire they have, and I’ll just make sure that I follow up with them. And one of the things I say and I believe is that we each should — we should be conscious of the fact that there are certain choices we can make. And one of them is about who we choose to be in our life, in our inner circle. And so choose. To have people in your life, in that inner circle who are supportive of you and who will encourage you, you know, people who when you trip will laugh with you when you trip, but then pick you back up and push you back out.

HOWARD STERN: Why do we attract so many people who aren’t like that? And why are we attracted to them? I do that all the time. I go, what am I doing with this?

KAMALA HARRIS: You have to be conscious of it. You have to be conscious of it. You know, to be very rudimentary. Like, choose not to have mean people in your life.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. It seems like the country is so angry right now.

Focusing on the Positive

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, I think that we just — we should remember the good. And I don’t mean to sound naive, but we have to remember the good. We have so many hardworking, good people who I have the great experience of meeting every day. For example, one of my passions is small businesses. So my mother worked full time. Worked long hours. And we lived on a nursery school above a child care center. And the woman who owned that, Mrs. Shelton, we called her our second mother. She helped my mother raise us. She was a small business owner. I grew up as a child knowing small business owners. They are leaders in the community. They hire locally. They mentor. So I have a real passion for small businesses.

Wherever I go around the country, I try to visit small businesses. I’m telling you, Howard, around our country, all these people who are innovative, ambitious, they are optimistic. They are building. They are creating. They are obviously contributing to our economy. Like we have this is the spirit of the American people. We are ambitious and we are aspirational.

HOWARD STERN: I mean, you guys introduced that infrastructure bill. And I mean, there are people building. You know, the economy is doing very well. Yeah, you’re right. Prices in every presidential election have been way too high. There’s never been an election where we said prices are too low.

KAMALA HARRIS: We need to work on bringing prices down. I mean, part of my point is we need to go after price gouging. I’ve done that before. You know, we’ve got to go after the bad actors where they exist, especially during emergencies. I mean, these storms and these hurricanes. I’ve seen it with wildfires in California where, you know, when people are desperate in an emergency, some bad actors will jack up prices. We need to go after them and, you know, to stop them from taking advantage of desperate people.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah, there was a guy selling the other day $100,000 watches from China.

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, they’re going to, you know, in moments of crisis, the predators will come out.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: And you’ve got to go after them.

Meeting and Marrying Doug Emhoff

HOWARD STERN: Speaking of your husband.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yes.

HOWARD STERN: Was it hard for you because you were so successful at an early age? You know, being a prosecutor, the DA, attorney general, all of these jobs. Was it hard for you to make a love connection, to make a romance with Doug? Because I would think most men would be intimidated by you.

KAMALA HARRIS: My husband, Doug, is one of the strongest, most self-actualized people, men I’ve known.

HOWARD STERN: You loved him right away or was it a slow ball?

KAMALA HARRIS: I did. So let me tell you about Doug. Doug grew up in Jersey.

HOWARD STERN: Oh.

KAMALA HARRIS: He worked for everything he had. We have a picture of him when he was employee of the month at McDonald’s.

HOWARD STERN: And you were at McDonald’s.

KAMALA HARRIS: I worked at McDonald’s.

HOWARD STERN: By the way, you can’t leave here because I have questions about McDonald’s.

KAMALA HARRIS: Okay, I’ll answer anything you have. But he worked for everything he had. And he has the best sense of humor. He’s very, I don’t want to say simple, but he’s really clear. He cares about family. He cares about working hard.

HOWARD STERN: Was he a lawyer?

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah. He was a lawyer. He started his own law firm.

HOWARD STERN: Is that how you met? Because he was like, how do you meet him?

KAMALA HARRIS: So we met on a blind date. My best friend set us up. That’s how we met. And it turned out that we have friends in common that we separately knew and then it all connected.

HOWARD STERN: Have you ever set anybody up on a blind date? I think it’s the most dangerous thing you could do.

KAMALA HARRIS: It’s kind of like roulette, right? It might hit. It may not. But look, I think that as people, you know, I mean, I’m on the campaign trail. I’m at various things and people will come up to me. I know you met your husband on a blind date. You got anybody for me?

HOWARD STERN: Well, you know, what he described was he was very nervous around you, left a rambling voicemail.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yes, he did.

HOWARD STERN: And he was sure that you thought he was a douche and that you were never going to see him again. And yet you hooked up. That was it.

KAMALA HARRIS: He is. I feel very fortunate to have a husband who is — so he’s just securing his skin. He’s not trying to be anything. He’s not. And, you know, he’s an incredible father to the kids. He’s just — he’s an incredible son to my in-laws.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

Women in Leadership

HOWARD STERN: Do you think there are people who will not vote for a woman because she’s a woman? I mean, I think I think you’re up against that, which just, you know, my best associations in radio and in business have been collaborating with women.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: Going back to when I made my movie, I had a female director. And when I worked at the E-Network, I had this woman, Fran Shea, who was so fabulous. And there’s an energy. And I believe that women — I said this on the air a million times. Women have to work harder to get respect. So they actually go like in show business. They actually have to go to film school and then intern and then work their way up to become a director. Guys can bullshit their way through it and get away with a lot.

And I don’t understand this philosophy, especially guys who have daughters and sisters and mothers. What is the bias? I mean, what is it they think a woman’s going to be weak in the White House? I mean, I don’t know how you combat that, honestly. I don’t know what you say to those people.

KAMALA HARRIS: Listen, I’ve been the first and first woman in almost every position I’ve had.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: I believe that. Men and women support women in leadership. And that’s been my life experience. And that’s why I’m running for president.

Becoming Vice President

HOWARD STERN: When you made that call. Well, first of all, when you got the call from Joe Biden.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: That said, I want you to run with me as your vice president. Were you floored? Were you expecting it?

KAMALA HARRIS: I didn’t know that I was going to get it. And I, you know, I’ve obviously put myself out as being open to it. And I was incredibly honored when he reached out to me and offered it to me.

HOWARD STERN: This guy, Tim Walz. I don’t know how you. Maybe one day you’ll write about this, but. Picking a vice president. I mean, here you are running for president.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: And, you know, in an unusual circumstance with Joe Biden just said, OK, I hear you. Which, by the way, what I mean, I had him on my show. What a loving man.

KAMALA HARRIS: He’s such a good person.

HOWARD STERN: He said for the good of my country I must have been the hardest thing in the world for me. He had the nomination.

KAMALA HARRIS: History is going to show. It was probably one of the most — one of the rarest moments of any president to do with courage, with the deepest level of courage and love of country.

HOWARD STERN: Where were you — when he you know, when he called you up and said, look, this is my decision and I think I’m going to endorse you. And where are you at that point?

KAMALA HARRIS: I’m at home. It’s a Sunday afternoon in my workout clothes. My niece, her husband and their two daughters were staying with us. And I made pancakes that morning. They were actually asking for extra bacon. I was getting it for him.

HOWARD STERN: You love to cook.

KAMALA HARRIS: I love to cook. And then we had this puzzle we were working on. And so we went to go work on the puzzle.

HOWARD STERN: Jigsaw puzzle.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: You’re into that.

KAMALA HARRIS: Oh, yeah. I love, especially with kids. It’s so fun. So we were working on the puzzle and the phone rings and it’s Joe. And so I got up to take the call and and then life changed.

HOWARD STERN: Wow. What a call. How long did you talk?

KAMALA HARRIS: We talked a couple of times that day and that morning, I’d say probably for like half an hour. And I mean, the first thing I asked him to be honest with you is, are you sure?

HOWARD STERN: I felt bad for him because, you know, did a damn good job.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah, he did.

HOWARD STERN: He took over in chaos.

KAMALA HARRIS: And he’s still doing a great job.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: He’s not done. He’s not done.

HOWARD STERN: I know. A terrific guy. And there’s Tim Walz. I think he’s fantastic. When you were at the Democratic Convention, he gets up with this energy.

Choosing Tim Walz as Running Mate

HOWARD STERN: Yeah. Who who tells you to? I guess it’s a whole think tank, right? When you’re — did Obama advise you on your pick for vice president?

KAMALA HARRIS: I made the decision. I made the decision.

HOWARD STERN: But how often did you meet with him to before you decide?

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, I had worked with him because, you know, he’s also president of the Governor’s Association. So we had been working together. And and then I obviously met with him to talk with him about considering him for my running mate. And let me just start with saying that there were a lot of incredible candidates. And ultimately, my decision really was just my gut decision, because none of the candidates lack for an incredible level of talent and experience.

But the thing about Tim Walz is. You know, people would look at the two of us and think, what could they possibly have in common? He grew up on one side of the country in a rural environment. I grew up on another side of the country in a very urban environment. You know, we just look different. We look like we’d be very different.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: We have so much in common —

HOWARD STERN: Because he’s a public servant.

KAMALA HARRIS: But also, here’s the thing, Howard.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: He reminds me of the people I grew up with. Different part of the country, maybe different race. But hardworking people, straight talking, grounded in principles.

HOWARD STERN: Great governor.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah, because good people like good, solid, hardworking people. And I just that was very attractive to me about him.

Cabinet Composition and Bipartisanship

HOWARD STERN: When Trump was president, I would lay awake and I’m worrying about the presidency. And I would see people in his cabinet leaving and coming and go. It was like mass chaos. People were like resigning every minute. I believe if you become president, I think he just said to you, you’re going to put a Republican in your cabinet. I love that. That’s old school.

KAMALA HARRIS: But listen, I know and I’ve been a decision maker long enough to know that the best decisions I make are when I bring in a variety of perspectives that allow me to consider every angle and to build consensus. That’s the best way. As a leader, I believe you make good decisions.

HOWARD STERN: And yeah, I think so, too. And I think as you know, the more I think about the people that you’re going to have in your cabinet and all this kind of thing, I’m guessing it’s going to be Liz Cheney who you appoint. Am I correct?

KAMALA HARRIS: I got to win, Howard. I got to win.

HOWARD STERN: You got to win. You got to win.

KAMALA HARRIS: And listen, but the thing about Liz Cheney, let me just say she’s remarkable. She’s smart. She is a dedicated public servant. She has shown extraordinary courage in this moment where there’s such violent, divisive language that she would put herself out so publicly and say I’m country before party. And, you know, she and I don’t agree on everything. Fundamentals. We do agree on.

HOWARD STERN: But she’s saying my one big issue is I believe in democracy and the people’s right to vote.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: So that’s it. That’s the decision. And she said, I don’t care about particular issues right now. I need a country that’s free and I need to the United States of America. The lights go out here. It’s going to be a darkness all over the world. NATO, no NATO.

America’s Global Role

KAMALA HARRIS: But to your point, I’ve now met as vice president over 150 world leaders, presidents, prime ministers, chancellors and kings. And part of what keeps me up at night is the knowledge based on experience. America is so important to the rest of the world, Howard. We are so important to the rest of the world. We are a role model for what it means to be a democracy so we can look at other countries and our allies and our adversaries and say, these are the principles that must be upheld. And while we uphold these principles, we will also be the strongest economy in the world. We will have the most lethal fighting force in the world. All these things coexist.

But you’ve got to have a president who appreciates and understands that on the issue of military. We already discussed where Donald Trump is. He belittles the members of our military.

HOWARD STERN: And who’s more important than our military? I mean…

KAMALA HARRIS: But right. You look at the economy. My plans for the economy. Listen, I am a capitalist. I’m also — I’m also a devout public servant that knows government can’t do everything by itself.

My econ policies, Goldman Sachs, the 16 Nobel laureates will tell you that my plans will strengthen our economy. Donald Trump’s plans would weaken our economy, would inflate inflation and would bring a recession on by the middle of next year.

Name Mispronunciation

HOWARD STERN: What are these guys up to with mispronouncing your name? They act as if they can’t say Kamala. It’s not that complicated. It’s what — what’s going on. What really is going on there when they can’t pronounce Kamala? Is it supposed to be an insult? Is it like Barack Hussein? Is it some sort of slur?

KAMALA HARRIS: Hired playbook, Howard. And I think most people are not going to be distracted by it. They want to know you have a plan for bringing prices down. They want to know you have a plan for keeping America secure.

Tax Credit for New Parents

HOWARD STERN: Right, right. So I would sum up your plan. I love the six thousand dollars tax credit for those with newborns. And this is a real boom to people. This is stuff that would be, you know, I’m a I’m a new grandfather. I have two grandchildren, but I have a new one, a new one.

KAMALA HARRIS: Brand new for you.

HOWARD STERN: And you know what? Six thousand dollars tax credit is saying you’re pro family.

KAMALA HARRIS: And what does it do? It allows a young parents to be able to buy a crib, a car seat. That stuff is expensive. The stuff that is so necessary for that incredibly important phase of their child development. And again, the return on the investment is profound.

HOWARD STERN: Yes.

KAMALA HARRIS: Family is about taking care of like I announced today. What my plan to make sure that Medicare covers at home elder care, because probably a lot of your listeners are in that sandwich generation.

HOWARD STERN: Oh, my God.

KAMALA HARRIS: Where they’re taking care of young kids and their elder parents.

Elder Care and Medicare

HOWARD STERN: My mother’s 97 years old. I’m going to tell you how old I am. I know you think I’m 30, but I am so old and I have an old mother, 97 years old. The cost is people don’t know this yet. If they’re not taking care of somebody elderly, it will bankrupt you.

KAMALA HARRIS: Absolutely. Or your parent will not get the care they need or you’re going to have to leave your job.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: Which means you’re going to reduce your income to depending on what it is, almost nothing in terms of your household income to do what you want to do, which is to give your parent the dignity they deserve with care.

HOWARD STERN: And can you imagine if Medicare is impacted or or Obamacare for that matter?

KAMALA HARRIS: And look at what Donald Trump has been talking about for years. And look at his Project 2025. People should Google it. I mean, what they’re doing and what he’s talking about in terms of attacking Social Security, Medicare, undoing the Affordable Care Act, which means the insurance companies can come back and deny people with preexisting conditions. All of this is very real and very much at stake in this election.

Celebrity Endorsements

HOWARD STERN: I hear what you’re saying. And you know what even was weird to me? So Taylor Swift endorsed you. Great. OK, I don’t know if it moves the needle or not, but you need everyone to come into the tent and be part of the party. To say I hate Taylor Swift because she disagrees with your politics. He’s done this to me. When Donald asked me to introduce him at the Republican Convention. I said, Donald, I can’t. I’m voting for Hillary Clinton. He was very upset with me and he said, no, no, no, no, no. And then he hated me.

You know, then I was a bad guy. No longer had ratings. I wasn’t funny. I was you know, I got all the all the all the crap for it. How can — how can we have that kind of mentality? I mean, because she disagrees with his politics, he hates her.

KAMALA HARRIS: I think Donald Trump is. An unserious man. And the consequences of him being president again are brutally serious.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah, they really are. Bruce Springsteen, did you watch his endorsement of you?

KAMALA HARRIS: I did. I was very touched. I was very touched. I’m a huge fan. And obviously, Doug is a huge fan from Jersey.

Early Career and McDonald’s Experience

HOWARD STERN: So when you were in college, I’ll end on this. I have to understand this. So you’re working for Senator Cranston. I remember Senator Alan Cranston.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah sure.

KAMALA HARRIS: He was one of the early environmentalists.

HOWARD STERN: Yes. Do you remember Allard Lowenstein, too? And all those. Maybe you don’t.

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: But anyway. But you’re working at a senator’s office and you’re working at McDonald’s at the same time.

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, I worked at McDonald’s the year before.

HOWARD STERN: Oh, you did. Before. Oh, OK. That is a real like you go to work during the day for Cranston and then you’re at McDonald’s. Was McDonald’s fun at all or is it really hard work? Is it just a drag?

KAMALA HARRIS: You know, I mean, it was — it’s an experience. Right. I mean, I was doing the fries and you got to watch the timer and it’s hard work. But honestly, Howard, I will say in all seriousness. The point about McDonald’s for me is also, you know, I was a college kid and it was spending a lot of money.

HOWARD STERN: Right. Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: There were people who were working there. That was the source of their family’s income.

HOWARD STERN: That’s right. Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: And that’s the thing that I think that’s my takeaway about that experience as much as anything, which is we still got a lot of work to do to make sure that folks cannot just get by but get ahead. And that’s why I’m so committed on what I call an opportunity economy.

Closing Remarks

HOWARD STERN: I think you’d be a great president. I think you’re compassionate. I think you’ve had all the life experience. I love your experience as a prosecutor and I want to thank you for all the years of public service. I appreciate anyone who really serves the public and serves them in a way. And I know even as a prosecutor, you got people out of jail who were falsely accused.

KAMALA HARRIS: Oh, yeah.

HOWARD STERN: And that to me says something. And I love you as vice president of the United States. I just want to encourage anyone who thinks similarly to me to vote. And if you don’t agree with me, do not vote. I encourage people not to vote who are thinking in a direction of endorsing Vladimir Putin and all that stuff. I hope people get out and vote. I hope we wake up and just end this nightmare. And go to I will vote dot com and register to vote for Kamala Harris. And I’m very my mother’s beside herself that you’re here with me today. What’s her name?

KAMALA HARRIS: Ray.

HOWARD STERN: Ray. Ray. My son, my son, my son is going to interview the vice president of the United States. I said, mom, just calm down. She’s on so much morphine. She won’t ever remember I did this, but she’ll be all right. Listen, this is fantastic. Thanks for coming in.

KAMALA HARRIS: Thank you.

HOWARD STERN: I wish you the best. I know there’s a lot of pressure on you. I hope this was fun for you. And I’m sure you’re honored.

KAMALA HARRIS: I’m honored to be on your show. Howard Stern.

HOWARD STERN: How did the view go? Was that fun?

KAMALA HARRIS: It went well. It went well. How did they behave?

HOWARD STERN: Well, they behaved. And there was some, you know, we had covered some serious topics and fun topics. So there was — there were two kids in the audience who during the break confessed that they were playing hooky.

KAMALA HARRIS: Wow.

HOWARD STERN: And so I wrote them basically hall pass.

KAMALA HARRIS: That’s great stuff.

HOWARD STERN: There you go. Well, listen, thanks for doing this.

KAMALA HARRIS: Thank you. And

HOWARD STERN: Thank you for everything. I appreciate it. It’s very cool to be here.

KAMALA HARRIS: Thank you for the time.

HOWARD STERN: Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States, who actually went to see you two at the sphere. Was that any good, by the way?

KAMALA HARRIS: Oh, my God. Have you been to the sphere?

HOWARD STERN: I’m troubled by it.

KAMALA HARRIS: I will. Let me just say, basically, everyone should go in with a clear head.

HOWARD STERN: Isn’t it too much?

KAMALA HARRIS: But that’s why I’m saying. Yeah. Like, definitely go in.

HOWARD STERN: You don’t be high.

KAMALA HARRIS: Correct. Right. Because it’s a lot like there’s a lot of visual stimulation.

HOWARD STERN: Yeah.

KAMALA HARRIS: And then I love you, too. Actually, it was a surprise for Doug, because we have been working and working and working. And he and I both that this is the other one we have in common as you two. And so it was my surprise. He thought we were leaving Nevada from campaigning and heading back to D.C. And then we drove up the street to the sphere. And the band actually came and said hello. But it’s extraordinary. You sit in there and it’s almost like Disneyland or Disney World where things just start to change around you.

HOWARD STERN: Wow.

KAMALA HARRIS: And you feel like you lose a sense of gravity because it’s really phenomenal. And also what’s interesting about it, then, is to your point about mics and all this stuff, you don’t really need a lot of stage props because the props are all in the sphere on the monitors.

HOWARD STERN: Right.

KAMALA HARRIS: You got to go see it. It’s really — it’s really fantastic. It’s an incredible work of technology.

HOWARD STERN: And you collect vinyl?

KAMALA HARRIS: Yeah.

HOWARD STERN: We have to talk about that sometime.

KAMALA HARRIS: But I collect it for our son Cole, too, because he’s now hip to everything. And so when I try to do my small business tour, so I try to go wherever I am. Also, if there’s a record store. Right. And then I’ll pick up vinyl for him and bring it back for him.

Formula One and Hobbies

HOWARD STERN: And just answer this quick. Why do you like Formula One? These guys drive around the cars over and over again in a circle.

KAMALA HARRIS: Oh, good.

HOWARD STERN: You really love that.

KAMALA HARRIS: We love it. Our whole family does.

HOWARD STERN: It’s not a campaign thing.

KAMALA HARRIS: No. God, no. No. Well, actually, I haven’t been able to watch it a lot recently because I am campaigning because, you know, also depending on where they’re driving the time of day, you know, you’ve got to wake up.

HOWARD STERN: Who is your favorite driver?

KAMALA HARRIS: Lewis Hamilton, of course.

HOWARD STERN: Well, I don’t even know who that is. He’s leaving Mercedes. You don’t know. You don’t watch Formula One?

KAMALA HARRIS: No. I mean, oh, once you start, I think you should see it. You might get hooked.

HOWARD STERN: Wow. You don’t play golf, do you?

KAMALA HARRIS: No. Doug does. I don’t.

HOWARD STERN: Good. I don’t want any golfer near the White House. Too much golf.

KAMALA HARRIS: I see.

HOWARD STERN: If you get the opportunity to be president of the United States, they run off to what? What is that? That secret hideaway that Eisenhower built? What? I don’t know.

KAMALA HARRIS: Because it’s secret.

HOWARD STERN: You know what I’m talking about.

KAMALA HARRIS: Camp David.

HOWARD STERN: Oh, yeah. Camp David.

KAMALA HARRIS: Well, historic site, by the way. You know, you go there. Donald Trump invited the Taliban there.

HOWARD STERN: So, yeah. Wow. Let’s put that on that ledger. My father said if the Americans ever saw Camp David, there’d be a revolt in the country that it’s because I’ve never been.

KAMALA HARRIS: You had never been.

HOWARD STERN: No. God bless you. You should be president. If you never go to Camp David, that’d be amazing.

It really is. Okay. I’m being told you have to go. I love this conversation. Thank you so much.

KAMALA HARRIS: I hope to come back. Thank you so much.

HOWARD STERN: Absolutely. Anytime.

KAMALA HARRIS: Thank you.

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