Transcript for Harris and Pence discuss foreign policies
I’d like to talk about China. We have, as our next topic, we have no more complicated or consequential foreign relationship than the one with China. It is a huge market for American agricultural goods, it’s a potential partner in dealing with climate change and north Korea. And president trump blamed China once again for the coronavirus, saying they will pay. Vice president pence, how could you describe our relationship with China? Competitors, adversaries, enemies? You have two minutes. Before I leave that, let me speak to voting records, if I can. You know, everybody knows that nafta cost literally thousands of American factories to close. We saw automotive jobs go south of the border. President trump fought to renegotiate nafta and the united states/mexico/canada agreement is the law of the land. American people deserve to know that senator Harris was one of only ten members of the senate to vote against the usmca. It was a huge win for American auto workers. It was a huge win for American farmers, especially dairy in the upper midwest. But senator, you said it didn’t go far enough on climate change, that you put your radical environmental agenda ahead of American auto workers and ahead of American jobs. I think the American people deserve to know that. It’s probably why “Newsweek” magazine said that kamala Harris was the most liberal member of the United States senate in 2019. More liberally Bernie Sanders, more liberal than any of the others in the United States senate. So, now, with regard to China, Susan, first and foremost, China is to blame for the coronavirus. And president trump is not happy about it. He’s made that very clear. Made it clear again today. China and the world health organization did not play straight with the American people. They did not let our personnel into China to get information on the coronavirus until the middle of February. Fortunately, president trump in dealing with China from the outset of this administration, standing up to China that had been taking advantage of America for decades in the wake of Joe Biden’s cheerleading for China, president trump made that decision before the end of January to suspend all travel from China. And again, the American people deserve to know, Joe Biden opposed president trump’s decision to suspend all travel from China. He said it was hysterical. Thank you, vice president pence. Your time is up. We’re going to continue to stand strong. Thank you, vice president pence. We want to improve the relationship, but we’re going to level the playing field and going to hold China accountable for what they did to America with the coronavirus. Thank you. Senator Harris, let me ask you the same question that I asked the vice president. How would you describe our fundamental relationship with China? Are we competitors, adversaries, enemies? You’ll have two minutes, uninterrupted. Susan, the trump administration’s approach to China has resulted in the loss of American lives, American jobs and America’s standing. There is a weird obsession that president trump has had with getting rid of whatever accomplishment was achieved by president Obama and vice president Biden. For example, they created, within the white house, an office that basically was responsible for monitoring pandemics. They got — they got rid of it. Not true. There was a team of disease experts that president Obama and vice president Biden dispatched to China to monitor what is now predictable and what might they pulled them out. We now are looking at 210,000 Americans who have lost their lives. Let’s look at the job situation. We mentioned before, the trade deal, the trade war, they wanted to call it, with China. It resulted in the loss of over 300 manufacturing jobs and a manufacturing recession and the American consumer paying thousands of dollars more for goods because of that failed war that they called it. And let’s talk about standing. Pew, a reputable research firm, has done an analysis that showed that leaders of all of our formerly allied countries decided they hold in greater esteem and respect, XI jinping, the head of the Chinese communist party, than they do Donald Trump, the president of the United States, the commander in chief of the United States. This is where we are today, because of a failure of leadership by this administration. Senator Harris, we’ve seen changes in the — in the role of the United States in terms of global leadership over the past four years. And, of course, times do change. What’s your definition — we’ve seen strains with China, of course, as the vice president mentioned, we’ve seen strains with our traditional allies in nato and elsewhere. What is your definition of the role of American leadership in 2020? So, you know, Joe, I love talking to Joe about a lot of these issues. And Joe, I think he said it quite well, he said, you know, foreign policy, it might sound complicated, but it’s just relationships, just think about it like relationships. So, we know this in our personal and professional relationships. You have to keep your word to your friends. You got to be loyal to your friends, people who have stood with you, got to stand with them. You got to know who your adversaries are and keep them in check. But what we have seen with Donald Trump is that he has betrayed our friends and embraced dictators around the world. Let’s take, for example, Russia. So, I serve on the intelligence committee of the United States senate. America’s intelligence community told us, Russia interfered in the election of the president of the United States in 2016 and is playing in 2020. Christopher WRAY, the director of the FBI, said the same. But Donald Trump, the commander in chief of the United States of America, prefers to take the word of Vladimir Putin over the word of the American intelligence community. You look at our friends at nato. He has walked away from agreements. You can — look at the Iran nuclear deal, which now has put us in a position where we are less safe because they are building up what might end up being a significant nuclear arsenal. We were in that deal, guys, we were in the Iran nuclear deal, with friends, with allies around the country and because of Donald Trump’s unilateral approach to foreign policy, coupled with his isolationism, he pulled us out and has made America less safe. So, Susan, it’s about relationships. And the thing that has always been part of the strength of our nation, in addition to our great military, has been that we keep our word, but Donald Trump doesn’t understand that, because he doesn’t understand what it means to be honest. Thank you, senator Harris. Vice president pence, let me give you a chance to respond. Well, thank you. Well, president trump kept his word when we moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel. When Joe Biden was vice president, they promised to do that and never did. We stood strong with our allies, but we’ve been demanding. Nato is contributing more than ever before thanks to president trump’s leadership. We’ve strengthened our alliances across the asia-pacific. And we’ve stood strong against those who would do us harm. You know, when president trump came into office, ISIS had captured an area of the middle East the size of Pennsylvania. President trump unleashed the American military and our armed forces destroyed the ISIS caliphate and took down their leader without one American casualty. Al baghdadi was responsible for the death of thousands. Notably, America’s hearts today are with the family of Kayla Mueller, the parents of which are here with us tonight in salt Lake City. Today, two of the ISIS killers responsible for Kayla Mueller’s murder were brought to justice in the United States. Jihadi John was killed on the battlefield, along with the others. We had an opportunity to save Kayla Mueller when Joe Biden was in the office. The military came into the oval office, presented a plan. They said they knew where Kayla was. Baghdadi had held her for 18 months, abused her mercilessly before they killed her. But when Joe Biden was vice president, they hesitated for a month and when armed forces finally went in, it was clear she had been moved two days earlier and her family says with a heart that broke the heart of every American that if president Donald Trump had been president, they believe Kayla would be alive today. Thank you, vice president. We destroyed the ISIS caliphate and you talk about re-entering the Iran nuclear deal, the last administration transferred $1.8 billion to the leading state sponsor — Thank you, vice president pence. President Donald Trump got us out of the deal. Thank you, vice president pence. When Seoul Manny was traveling to Baghdad to do harm to Americans, president Donald Trump took him out. Thank you, vice president pence. And America is safer, our allies are safer and the American people know president Donald Trump will never — Thank you, vice president pence. I would like to give senator Harris a chance to respond, but not at such great length. I would like equal time. Yes. Thank you. Please go ahead. First of all, to the Mueller family, I know about your daughter’s case and I am so sorry. I am so sorry. What happened to her is awful and it should have never happened. And I know Joe feels the same and I know that president Obama feels the same way. But you mentioned soleimani. Let’s start there. So, after the strike on soleimani, there was a counter strike on our troops in Iraq. And they suffered serious brain injuries and do you know what Donald Trump dismissed them as? Headaches. And this is about a pattern of Donald Trump’s, where he has referred to our men who are serving in our military as suckers and losers, Donald Trump, who went to Arlington cemetery and stood above the graves of our fallen heroes and said, what’s in it for them? Because, of course, you know, he only thinks about what’s in it for him. Let’s talk what he said about John McCain, a great American hero. And Donald Trump says, he doesn’t deserve to be called a hero, because he was a prisoner of war. Take — and this is very important. When you want to talk about who is the current commander in chief and what they care about what they don’t care about, public reporting that Russia had bounties on the heads of American soldiers and you know what a bounty is? It’s somebody punts a price on your head and they will pay it if you are killed and Donald Trump had talked at least six times to Vladimir Putin and never brought up the subject. Joe Biden would never do that. Thank you. Joe Biden would — Joe Biden would hold Russia to account for any threat to our nation’s security or to our troops who are sacrificing their lives for the sake of our democracy and our safety. Senator Harris, this is so important, but we have other important issues, as well. I want to make sure we have — I really have to respond to that. Look. She has — 15 seconds, because. I have to have more than I’m sorry, vice president pence, you’ve had more time than she’s had so far — The slanders against president Donald Trump regarding men and women of our armed forces are absurd. I’m sorry, vice president pence — My son is a captain united States Marine Corps. My son-in-law is deployed in the United States Navy. I can assure all of you with sons and daughters serving in our military, president Donald Trump not only respects but reveres all of those who serve in our armed forces and any suggestion otherwise is ridiculous.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
