Here’s what you missed from Harris’ NBC interview

Vice President Kamala Harris and her team are ready if her opponent Donald Trump declares victory before all the votes are counted in the presidential election, he told NBC News.

The interview between Harris and Hallie Jackson was recorded on US Navy Watch and aired Tuesday evening.

Before withdrawing from the race, the Democratic US presidential nominee answered questions about President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance, whether the former president would forgive Trump and the historical significance of her candidacy as a woman.

Here are some key moments:

Ms. Jackson asked Harris if he had been honest about Biden when he endorsed his re-election bid.

“Didn’t you see anything like what happened at debate night behind closed doors with him?” Mrs. Jackson asked.

“It was a bad debate. People have bad debates,” Harris responded, referring to the clash between Trump and Biden in June.

Ms. Jackson followed up and said Biden’s poor debate performance was the reason Harris was now the Democratic nominee.

“Well, you’d have to ask him if that’s the only reason (he stood down),” Harris said.

Ms. Jackson asked again about Biden.

“I’m running for president of the United States. Joe Biden is not — and my presidency will bring a new generation of leadership to America,” Harris said.

He later vouched for the President’s political achievements and leadership.

“I’m not just speaking with honesty, but with a real, first-hand account of having seen him do this job. I have no qualms about saying that,” he said.

Jackson asked Harris what he would do if his Republican opponent declared himself the winner before all the votes were counted.

“We’ll deal with election night and the days after as they come, and we have the resources and the expertise and the focus,” Harris said.

In the hours leading up to Election Day 2020, Trump falsely declared himself the winner of the race against Biden while votes were still being counted. A few days later the election was not decided.

He now faces charges of pressuring officials to change the 2020 results and knowingly spreading lies about electoral fraud.

Asked if Harris’ team had considered a similar scenario on Election Day next month, the vice president replied, “Absolutely.”

“This is a man, Donald Trump, who tried to undo a free and fair election, who still denies the will of the people, who incited a violent mob to attack the capital of the United States… This is a serious matter,” he said. He said.

Jackson asked Harris if he would pardon Trump if he became president.

“I’m not going to go into those assumptions. I’m focused on the next 14 days,” she replied.

Asked if pardoning the former president would help unite the country, he said,

“I’ll tell you what’s going to help us move forward — I’m going to be elected president of the United States.”

Harris was also asked if America is ready for a woman of color as its next president.

“Sure” she said without hesitation. “…I think part of what’s important about this election is not just turning the page, but closing the page and the chapter on an era that Americans say is divided.”

Ms. Jackson pressed Harris on why he was reluctant to talk about the historic nature of his candidacy on the campaign trail. Harris would be the first female president if elected.

“I’m clearly a woman. … What most people really care about is whether you can do the job and have a plan to focus on them,” she said.

Asked if he was concerned about sexism, Harris said he didn’t see his candidacy that way. Instead, he said his challenge on the campaign trail is to make sure he can speak to and listen to as many voters as possible.

“I would never assume that anyone in our country should elect a leader based on their gender or race, but rather that leader should get votes based on substance and what they will do to meet challenges,” he said.

Harris then discussed her agenda around reproductive rights and abortion access.