Vice President Kamala Harris has entered the 2024 presidential race and is expected to be the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke Friday with Tom Hudson on "The Florida Roundup" about Harris and President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race.
She said she didn’t agree with some of her Democratic colleagues who wanted Biden to withdraw.
“I was sad to see him step aside. He's been such a good president, but I couldn't be more proud of the job he's done and that he will continue to do and the courage that he showed to pass the torch to Vice President Harris,” she said.
Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, said she believes the vice president is the best candidate for the party nomination.
“We have delegates that were elected and have the ability to cap their support to reflect the sentiments of their supporters,” said Wasserman Schultz, referencing delegates elected to the Democratic National Convention, which is slated to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago.
“And that's why Kamala Harris so overwhelmingly and quickly won the support of a majority of our convention delegates, both because President Biden has the trust and confidence in her and endorsed her immediately and because she has the track record and the experience of having achieved the historic accomplishments that this administration made.”
Wasserman Schultz named the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act as some of those accomplishments.
She compared Harris’ platform with that of the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, who calls for a mass deportation program of people who crossed the U.S. border illegally and making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 permanent (it is set to expire after 2025).
She also referenced Trump’s conviction of 34 felony counts, which he plans to appeal after sentencing .
"... That's why Kamala Harris so overwhelmingly and quickly won the support of a majority of our convention delegates, both because President Biden has the trust and confidence in her and endorsed her immediately and because she has the track record and the experience ..."Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Aside from the 2024 presidential race, Wasserman Schultz spoke about other topics Friday on "The Florida Roundup." This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Tom Hudson: Congresswoman, let me take advantage of our time with you, and thank you for that, to ask you about Israel. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke to Congress this week in Washington, a rare joint session. You walked with the prime minister as he made his way to that joint session, what did you speak about with him?
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz: I had an opportunity and in my greeting Prime Minister Netanyahu to make sure that I stressed how important it is to bring this peace deal, the opportunity to bring the hostages home and begin to end the hostilities and the threat that Hamas represents on the doorstep, the terrorists threat that Hamas represents on the doorstep of Israel, to a close, and urged him to help make sure that we can bring those negotiations to a conclusion. I was glad to hear him talk about in his remarks about the necessity for civilian governance in Gaza, to demilitarize and deradicalize that governance in Gaza.
And it's just going to be absolutely critical that we bring the hostages home, that we end the terrorist threat that lives on Israel's doorstep, and that we ensure that we can free Gaza from the terrorist threat of Hamas and ensure the Palestinian civilians there live a life of freedom.
How confident are you in Netanyahu’s commitment to negotiating a peace deal for Gaza?
Well, I am certainly hopeful that he will not listen to the extreme right flank in his coalition, because if he does, then I would be less than hopeful. But at this moment, thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris' efforts, we have a deal that is substantially complete, that, as described to me, is on the 10-yard line, and that we really have just a few more things to be ironed out. I certainly understand why the prime minister wants to ensure that in the phases of the deal, if they're not adhered to, that Israel has the ability to go back in and ensure that they can defend themselves.
But we do also need to make sure, we have eight Americans that, through either remains or living hostages, that we must bring home as well as the others. We have families who have been, who are just in agony. I met with more families again this week, because I have over many months. It's just critical that we make sure that we can end the hostilities, get the hostages home, and rebuild Gaza in a demilitarized and deradicalized fashion along with the Arab allies so that we can end the terrorist threat on Israel's border.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is in Florida today, not too far from your district, meeting with the former president, President Trump. Do you think it's appropriate for a sitting head of state to meet with a former one?
I mean, I think that that's a pretty typical thing to do. You have President Zelenskyy from Ukraine who spoke with former President Trump by phone. I don't think that that is inappropriate given that he's in the country.
I certainly hope and would expect that the prime minister not involve himself in domestic politics and not demonstrate in any way a preference. because making sure that Israel is always able to remain bipartisan support is critical. That bipartisan support is overwhelming, as evidenced by the votes that have been cast in support and in condemnation of Hamas' attacks, in support of Israel and funding we've provided. So I would certainly hope that this is just a meeting that is going to ensure that those relationships are maintained, which is understandable.
The U.S. House this week voted to create a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination attempt on former President Trump. What's your interest in serving on that committee?
Oh, I have a pretty full plate as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. So I am not expressing interest in serving on that committee. I sit on the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government as well, and as a member of the Democratic leadership, so I know that we have really excellent, top quality colleagues on my side of the aisle who will be able to do a fantastic job.
