During an interview with NBC News' Hallie Jackson, Vice President Kamala Harris was asked if she would "pardon" former President Donald Trump to help the "country move on"—and her response had social media users cheering.
Jackson emphasized that Trump's legal troubles persist.
Convicted earlier this year on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in an attempt to conceal hush money payments made to adult film performer Stormy Daniels in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement to silence her ahead of the 2016 general election, Trump still faces charges pertaining to the January 6 insurrection as well as his failed effort to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia.
With this in mind, Jackson asked if Harris would consider pardoning Trump should she win her White House bid:
"It is entirely possible that the federal court cases against the former president will continue on. He is of course facing those felony charges. Would you consider if you win, and he's convicted, a pardon for former President Trump?"
Harris declined to comment, stressing the importance of focusing on the final stretch before November's election:
"I'm not going to get into those hypotheticals. I'm focused on the next 14 days."
Jackson pressed further:
"But do you believe, is there any part of you that subscribes to the argument that has been made in the past, that a pardon could help bring America together, unify the country, and move on?"
To that, Harris replied:
"Let me tell you what's going to help us move on: I get elected President of the United States."
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
Many cheered Harris's blunt response.
When asked about the possibility of Trump declaring victory before the votes are counted and a winner is projected by news networks and other media outlets, Harris expressed her concerns.
In her response to Jackson, she pointed to January 6—the day a mob of Trump's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on the false premise the 2020 election had been stolen—as evidence that more violence could follow November's election result:
"This is a person, Donald Trump, who tried to undo the free and fair election, who still denies the will of the people who incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol, and 140 law enforcement officers were attacked, some who were killed. This is a serious matter."
"The American people are, at this point, two weeks out, being presented with a very, very serious decision about what will be the future of our country."
Harris also reiterated that the leader of the country "needs to earn the vote based on substance and what they will do to address challenges and to inspire people to know that their aspirations and their ambitions can and will be achieved.”
You can watch the entire interview below.
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