Time. Shes more than prepared and spent her career defending our constitution and fighting for folk whose need a fair shake. Her own life story is one i and so many other ks ss can see ours in, who you worship or love there is a place for you here. Its a perspective that led us out of the hardest times before and a perspective we can all rally behind right now. Lets get more from jeff zeleny. Were learning about how this decision came about. Anderson, good evening. Were learning new details and told about 90 minutes before this announcement was made, about 4 15 or so here in the east, so about 2 45 or so senator harris was at her washington condo and received a phone call with a job offer from former Vice President joe biden. They have been talking throughout this process and had at least one meeting we know of, a Virtual Meeting before this but it was an offer of a job to join the president ial ticket, the democratic ticket there. This is the end of what had been a threemonth process or so and ended in the place that Many Democrats thought it would at the very beginning. They have always seen senator harris as one of the strongest choices largely because of her experience on the campaign trail. She has been a test at least in the former Vice President s eyes but he did look at at least 11 other women. Of course, he pledged at the final debate of the democratic primary he would put a woman on the ticket so that certainly was the guiding principle through all of this. It was a robust vetting but in the end senator harris was perhaps the lead choice all along. As your understanding is why did the former Vice President feel she was the strongest contender . He really looked at this but were told one of the central principles was his own relationship with former president barack obama, who i am told acted as a sounding board in this process. He did not put the thumb on the scale, say who he favored or preferred but it was that relationship, im told that the former Vice President joe biden was looking for, a governing partner, someone he could be loyal and trustworthy and more importantly, the fact that she had National Campaign experience. Joe biden knows how hard it is to run for president so he wanted someone who was tested out there. The historic nature of this choice, there is no question the challenges facing the country rebuilding after the protest of the summer. The economy. The coronavirus. This is something he thought she was ready for. So there is a combination of factors but certainly the historic choice and the fact she had run before and she is a bridge to a new generation. I talked that repeatedly he is simply a place holder so shes 55 years old. Almost 20 years younger than him and finally, anderson, it was the connection to beau biden. She served as California Attorney general. He was the delaware attorney general. This is the late Vice President s son who is a Guiding Light to him. His relationship and their working relationship that made her almost seem like family to the bidens despite their rivalry during the campaign, something that obviously, joe biden was able to move on beyond. Yeah, jeff zeleny, thanks. Vice President Biden and senator harris are expected to appear tomorrow for the first time for the democratic ticket. Do we know much about how today played out for her . Well, we know that joe biden made that zoom call to give her the news that he would be selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate. Kamala harris spent a few days in washington d. C. Before this and tomorrow we expect she will be here appearing alongside joe biden for the first time as his Vice President ial pick. They will be giving remarks here in wilmington, delaware and right after that they are participate income a grass roots virtual fundraiser for the first time they will be connecting with their supporters as they are looking to energize the Democratic Base heading into the november election and the last time, you know, biden and Kamala Harris faced off several times over the course of the democratic primary, but the first time that they actually appeared together after harris had endorsed biden was in early march at a Campaign Rally in detroit that actually was the last major rally that biden did before the coronavirus pandemic that brought campaigning to a complete standstill, and at that event as jeff kind of talked about, that was the event where biden said he considered himself to be the bridge to the future of the Democratic Party. It was on that stage where he had Kamala Harris on one side and standing on the other side of him was Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and cory booker was also there. So this is a very also symbolic pick thinking back to the moment where he stood alongside and this relationship with biden and that under states the property ses process. He valued his opinion more than anyone elses and that played a major factor in this decision. Its going to be a busy few weeks for Kamala Harris as she steps into this running mate role. There is that slate of events tomorrow im told that finance team is also preparing fundraisers for her to do over the course of the next month and then one week from tomorrow shell be delivering that speech where she accepts the Vice President ial nominee nation at the Democratic Convention in a virtual format. You follow joe biden on the campaign trail. Do you know much about their actual relationship . I mean, obviously, as you said, she knew had worked with his son. Do we know how much of an actual relationship that have with each other . Well, you know, they encountered each other several times over the course of the democratic primary, at debates and other larger president ial fou forums. They had a friendly relationship. I recall one photo where camilk harris was driving and saw joe biden walking and she jumped out of her car to take this photo with joe biden. They have been friendly over the years. That relationship with beau bidden will be a big factor as they start to form the Building Blocks of this working relationship. Biden is looking to replicate that relationship that he had with president obama and while he and camilKamala Harris may n incredibly close at the beginning, he sees a long term potential to develop that relationship over the coming years. And clearly overcame any animosity about the confrontation they had at that first debate. Appreciate it. In february during the democratic primary, biden was seen at a town hall and asked a simple question about the process of picking a running mate. What would be his criteria when it came time to choose. I have to pick someone, if god forbid something happened tomorrow if i contracted what my son had or Something Like that the person is ready on day one to be president of the United States but the second criteria is i very much like mied a machine station to look like the country, like Barack Administration looked like, black, brown, women, men, gay, straight, across the board to look like the country. As Vice President , i think it would be wonderful to have a woman or a person of color as Vice President. Joining us now gloria borger, abby phillip, Bakari Sellers and nia Mallika Henderson. It a his totoric night. While it may not have been a surprising choice in the list of people hes choosing when you step back and pointed this out earlier in the day, i mean, it is no matter how far this country has come, its still startling for many people. Yeah, it is and well have to see how voters actually are responding to this. You know, i made the comment that it was a risky pick given what we know about the forces of american racism and sexism. Forces weve seen play out quite boldly in 2016. Obviously, with Hillary Clinton facing sexism and then if you just look at the history of women who have been on tickets, gerald and sarah palin and look way back to charlie. Her golfs to broaden americas imagination in terms of who they thought could hold positions of power. What we know presently is that america has not been comfortable with having black women in positions of power. Theyre very few black women in Corporate America who are ceos, black women bosses. There has never been a black woman who is governor, two senators. This idea that this is indefb inevitable and safe, it isnt safe and listen, some African Americans who ive talked to are worried about what is this actually mean for the ticket . You know, democrats obviously relying on suburban white voters to pull the lever for joe biden and now Kamala Harris will Kamala Harris in someways end up being a turn off for some of these voters because weve seen what happened in the past with some of these voters being uncomfortable with black People Holding power, and certainly, never necessarily pulling the lever for a black woman. So this is joe biden asking voters to do something that they have never done before and we saw, right, in this past primary the safe choice was joe biden. When Hillary Clinton wanted to make a Vice President ial pick, her safe choice was a white man. When barack obama wanted to make his pick in 2008, the safe choice was a white man. So this notion that somehow this is conventional, this is safe, and this is inevitable, just not born out by the facts and also, i think it erases the enormous work that has gone into this. Not only from kahlil mala harri herself but the generations of black women before her and black women that put the notion out there it was time to have a black woman at this level. Abby, joe biden called himself a transitional figure. We talked about just a short time ago. He would be the oldest president ever elected. There are a lot of people that believe he wouldnt run for a second term, obviously, if he gets selected. Thats one step if he decides to run again would be another step. How much does it raise the stakes for the pick that joe biden decided to make . Certainly, it raises stakes for camilKamala Harris as a candidad potentially as a Vice President. Its incredibly important, anderson. This is such a kons kwengs l pick and for joe biden, this choice was about deciding who he thought was the most likely to be able to carry on a mantle after he was to leave office and Kamala Harris is someone who for a long time in the Democratic Party has been seen as a bright rising star and one of the things that ive been told by people close to them over the last couple months, especially after she left the democratic race is that biden was careful to really extend a hand, to keep communication up between the two of them encouraging her to remain a part of the party because inevitably, i think he understood no matter whether he picked her as a Vice President or chose her, she would have a critical role. You know, Kamala Harris is someone thats not easy necessarily to put into a hold. One of the challenges of the Trump Campaign is going to face in the coming months is figuring out how to position her. She took positions geared as progressive and she has a more nuanced record in her time as attorney general. As a political figure very wellknown because shes been vetted in the democratic process, shes also someone who i think there is quite a lot that the political universe does not know or understand about her and in that respect she has an opportunity to write her own story in congestion with joe biden for the future of the Democratic Party. So well see what that actually ends up looking like but that is one of the reasons that this pick is so important because unlike many of these other candidates he was considering, she is young. She is long been viewed as the future of the party and has this ability to continue to write her narrative Going Forward and not just be defined by her past political jobs and ambitions. Bakari, there is the historic piece of this in the ark of American History and then there is also the very practical things she brings to the ticket. We talked about it. The ark of justice that always moves slowly and i think the black women, not think, i know that black women have been around long enough. We listen to i speak to kamala often and she says blank women are tired of being thanked. They have been the backbone of the Democratic Party for generation after generation after generation and for a long period of time been taken for granted. Joe biden is a tran sended figure in politics. Yes, joe biden has been a transcended figure in politics. He was a Vice President for barack obama and now chosen Kamala Harris. She stands on the shoulders of fanny lou and not just ella baker but also stands on the shoulders of Hillary Clinton and et cetera. She understands that. This is a phenomenal pick tonight and i must say this, and i dont want to erase her mother at all because we have to remember she is the first woman of asian american, Indian American descent to actually be at the top of the ticket and so this is a fascinating night and what were seeing with the two parties is the narrow focus is going to be on the fact that donald trump and the Trump Campaign have no way and they do not know how to deal with Kamala Harris. It very difficult to say kamala is a cop and be a law and order president. Those two things simply do not mesh. Not only ahistorical and accurate but the message is they collide. So thats first. But second, it shows that the Republican Party and Democratic Party are going in two vastly different directions. The country is becoming more diverse and brown. Joe biden and camillkamala harr represent the demographics what the country will be and donald trump and Steven Miller and mike pence represent a day thats passed. So what i would say tonight is while donald trump and mike pence want to cheer on the confete co confederacy, wheere trying to reimagine what this country will look like. It goes back to a time where americans can feel good about being first and about thinking about what our country can be full of hope and faith. You know, gloria, its often said the picking of a Vice President is the first most important decision that a president makes. Im wondering what you think the process was like for joe biden. Well, i think it wfwas lengt and typical of joe biden talking to my sources that he Read Everything and even though he knew some of these women from debating them or serving with them in the senate, he watched them as they appeared on television. He interviewed them, and he considered it all in terms of who he was as Vice President and spoke with barack obama about this and what it is the president value and i think loyalty and confidence somebody who can govern and tells you about joe biden and emails with one of his choosing someone after him. Not donald trump, you heard donald trump at his press Conference Today talk about how nasty camillKamala Harris is, t the word he likes to use with women i might point out and this is just the opposite of that. Biden got dinged by her on the debate stage and moved on because thats who he is. Any woman who seems strong or asks a tough question is nasty. Nasty. Thats the word or black, anderson, or black. There is that, yes. Everyone, thank you. Still ahead, a look at Kamala Harris president ial campaign during the president ial season with a reporter that followed her every step of the way and people and events who helped form who harris is from her early life to her rise in california politics today. Our health comes first. Which is why we keep taking care of ourselves, like screening for colon cancer. Because when caught in early stages, its more treatable. Cologuard is noninvasive and detects altered dna in your stool. To find 92 of colon cancers. Even in early stages. Its for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. So, dont wait to screen. Ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. Try wayf r. You got this perfect. Youre welcome. I love it. Howd you do all this . Told ya wayfair. Lets talk dining tables. Yes blow it up. Wayfair youve got just what i need take the good, with the bad live the life you want to have send it off, with a bang whistling [ indistinguishable muffled words ] preorder now and get up to 150 samsung credi