Harris addresses criticism of biological children and talks about abortion rights in the “Call Her Daddy” interview

CNN
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Kamala Harris said she felt “sorry” for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who suggested in a town hall with former President Donald Trump last month that the vice president had nothing to keep her humble because she had no physical ones have children.

“I feel sorry for her and I’ll tell you why,” Harris said on an episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast released Sunday. “Because I don’t think she understands that there are a lot of women out here who don’t strive to be modest. Secondly, there are a lot of women here who have a lot of love in their life, a family in their life and children in their life, and I think it's very important for women to encourage each other.”

Responding to criticism from Republicans that she didn't have biological children, Harris told podcast host Alex Cooper, “I'm a firm believer that we all have our family through blood and then through love.” And I have both. And I think it’s a real blessing.”

The Democratic presidential candidate has two stepchildren – Cole and Ella Emhoff – through her 10-year marriage to second gentleman Doug Emhoff. During the interview, recorded on Tuesday, she detailed her “very modern family” and her relationship with her “two beautiful children,” who she said called her “Momala.”

“I love these children more than anything. Family comes in many forms, and I think we are all increasingly realizing that we are no longer living in the 1950s,” Harris said.

Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas, said last month that her three children serve as a “constant reminder of everything that is at stake in this country” and that “my children keep me humble.” Unfortunately, Kamala Harris has nothing keeps them humble.”

The former Trump White House press secretary's argument that children serve as a reminder of what matters in an election, alluding to the vice president's lack of biological children, was reminiscent of repeated comments from Trump's vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance. The Ohio Republican has been criticized for his previous comments that the US is run by “childless cat ladies who are unhappy about their own lives and the choices they have made.”

Harris' appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, known for its candid discussions about sex and relationships, comes at a time when her campaign is prioritizing booking interviews with local media outlets and more unconventional forums. This strategy was both criticized for avoiding challenging interviews and praised for being a clever messaging technique.

The interview marked the start of a media frenzy, as Harris will appear this week on “The View,” “The Howard Stern Show,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a Univision town hall and CBS' “60 Minutes.” ”

While Harris' campaign aims to put reproductive rights at the center of her platform, the vice president used her appearance on “Call Her Daddy” — which Spotify called “the most listened-to podcast by women” — to take a swipe at her opponent on the issue , in which she has had the upper hand so far.

During the interview, she criticized Trump for portraying himself as a “protector” at a rally last month where he claimed American women “wouldn't think about abortion” if he were elected.

“So he, who as president hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intent of overturning the protections of Roe v. Wade, and they did exactly what he intended,” Harris told Cooper.

Harris added: “This is the same guy who said women should be punished for having abortions. “This is the same guy who uses the same language he uses when describing women?”

Cooper was surprised when Harris told her she was the first sitting U.S. president or vice president to visit a reproductive health center when she visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota in March.

Harris also debunked false statements from the former president who accused Democrats of allowing the execution of babies after birth, calling the claim a “big fat lie” and “insulting.”

“This is not happening anywhere in the United States,” Harris said, adding, “Can you imagine him suggesting that women in their ninth month of pregnancy choose to have an abortion?”

While both Trump and Vance have claimed that Democratic states allow such abortions, no state has or is passing a law allowing the execution of a baby after birth, and killing a person after birth is illegal in every state.

CNN's Arit John, Eva McKend, Brian Stelter and Daniel Dale contributed to this report.