Vice President Harris told me in a conversation behind the scenes at “Axios on HBO” that the Trump administration “had no stock” of vaccines when leaving office.
The big picture: “There was no national vaccination strategy or plan, we were leaving it up to states and local leaders to try to find out,” Harris told me at the White House after leading a virtual COVID event with African-American mayors.
- “In many ways, we are starting from scratch on something that has been going on for almost an entire year.”
Harris said he constantly pressures his team on the question, “Can we do more? Where is the capacity to do more?”
- “The suffering,” she said, “is so immense in terms of the public health crisis, the number of people who died, the number of people who contracted the disease and the economic crisis.”
- “So we are in the midst of a hurricane that is still raging and that requires us – each of us in a leadership position – to constantly ask, ‘Are we doing enough?'”
- “We have to find a way – that has to be our standard. Our standard has to be: ‘Anything is possible, but we are going to have to work hard to do that.’ Which means … no patience to delay, no patience to, ‘It can’t be done.’ You know, this is how I feel about it. “
Asked what his subscription problem will be, Harris said laughing, “Ensuring Joe Biden is a success.”
- I asked her with the late New York Mayor Ed Koch’s trademark question, “How am I doing?”
- “Three weeks ago,” Harris replied with a laugh. “Give me some time!”
When Harris left, I asked if her predecessor, Vice President Mike Pence, had left her a note.
- She said yes, but left the details as a suspense.
- I was told that Pence left the note at Vice President West Wing’s office. He was friendly from the Midwest: he said it had been a lifetime’s honor to serve in that position – and wished Harris the best for his own success.