In a candid and wide-ranging interview with legendary radio host Howard Stern on Tuesday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris said that she “literally loses sleep” over what’s at stake in November’s election against Republican former President Donald Trump.

What You Need To Know

  • Vice President Kamala Harris sat for a wide-ranging interview with legendary radio host Howard Stern on Tuesday afternoon 

  • Harris responded to the new reporting outlined in veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book that Trump, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin COVID-19 tests — then scarce due to shortages — for his personal use, calling it "the most recent stark example of who Donald Trump is" and accusing him of cozying up to strongmen and authoritarians

  • She told Stern that there were “a couple of moments” in her debate against Trump last month that were “surreal,” particularly taking aim at his false comments about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio

  • Stern pressed Harris about whether she would pick former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who endorsed the vice president and recently campaigned with her, for her Cabinet; Harris replied that she's "gotta win" first, but praised Cheney as "remarkable"

“I literally lose sleep and have been over what is at stake in this election,” Harris said on “The Howard Stern Show,” adding: “I end the day pretty much every day these days asking myself, ‘What can I do more?’”

She also responded to the new reporting outlined in veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book that Trump, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin COVID-19 tests — then scarce due to shortages — for his personal use.

Harris, echoing comments she made during last month’s debate against Trump, accused the former president of cozying up to strongmen, who she said he “admires,” adding said that he “gets played by them.”

“Because he thinks that they're his friends, and they are manipulating him full time, and manipulating him by flattery and with favor,” the vice president said. “In the height of the pandemic, and remember, and your listeners will remember, people were dying by the hundreds. Everybody was scrambling to get … the Covid test kits, couldn’t get them anywhere.”

“And this guy who was president of the United States is sending them to Russia, to a murderous dictator for his personal use … that is just the most recent stark example of who Donald Trump is, that he secretly sent COVID test kits for the personal use of Putin, of Russia, an adversary to the United States, when he was talking about Americans should be putting bleach in their blood."

“Think about what this is: Think about this person who wants to be president again, who secretly is helping out an adversary when the American people are dying by the hundreds every day and in need of relief,” Harris continued. “And instead, how did he handle it domestically from Americans? He mismanaged the whole thing.”

And November’s election, Harris said, is "about strength versus weakness.”

“Weakness, as projected by someone who puts himself in front of the American people and does not have the strength to stand in defense of their needs, their dreams, their desires, the work that must happen to make sure that we are a secure nation, that we are nurturing and protecting our alliances around the world,” she continued.

She sought to further highlight the stakes of November’s election further by pointing out that Trump “hand-selected” three justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion, and if he wins, could appoint more justices who might take aim at other rights — like same-sex marriage.

“If Donald Trump were to get another term, most of the legal scholars think there are two more seats that are going to be up,” Harris warned.

Harris told Stern, a longtime friend of Trump’s-turned-outspoken critic after he was elected president, that there were “a couple of moments” in her debate against Trump last month that were “surreal,” particularly taking aim at his false comments about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

“One of those people on stage spent full time talking about his personal grievances about himself full time instead of talking about the needs of the American people,” Harris said, adding: “But this was a very serious moment to earn the votes of the American people. And he was talking about things that were factually untrue and quite ridiculous, but also not talking about a plan for dealing with bringing down the cost of groceries, not talking about a plan for building up American businesses, not talking about a plan for strengthening America's security and standing with our allies and against our adversaries.”

Stern pressed Harris over a comment she made on "The View" earlier Tuesday about naming a Republican to her potential Cabinet -- a promise she's made in the past -- asking her if former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who endorsed the vice president and recently campaigned with her, would be her pick.

Harris replied that she's "gotta win" first, but praised Cheney as "remarkable."

"She's smart," Harris said of Cheney. "She is a dedicated public servant."

Stern and Harris ran through the vice president’s background, including her being raised by a single mother and coming up as a prosecutor in California — “I have put a lot of people in jail,” she said, prosecuting issues ranging from child sexual assault to transnational criminal organizations — and whether she received death threats for such work.

“Yeah, I don’t generally talk about them,” she said, adding: “I refuse to live in fear of the bad guys.”

She similarly refused to say whether she would leave the country or feel safe if Trump wins again, replying to Stern: “Howard, I'm doing everything I can to make sure he does not win.”