Kamala Harris Slams ‘Dictator’ Donald Trump’s Response To COVID-19 Pandemic

While chatting with Howard Stern on his SiriusXM show Oct. 8, Vice President Kamala Harris slammed Donald Trump for his mishandling of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, alleging that the former president secretly mailed covid tests to Russian President Vladimir Putin when Americans needed them the most.

“I believe Donald Trump has this desire to be a dictator,” Harris told Howard Stern during their candidate sit down on Tuesday. “He admires strongmen, and he gets played by them because he thinks that they’re his friends,” the Democrat continued. “And they are manipulating him full-time and manipulating him by flattery.”

Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / Getty

Trump’s controversial presidency takes center stage in Bob Woodward’s new book, War, which examines the stark contrasts between Joe Biden’s and Trump’s time in office, as well as Kamala Harris’ historic journey to the White House. Woodward claims that when COVID-19 test kits were sent to Putin, the Russian president advised Trump to keep it quiet to avoid public backlash.

Harris responded strongly to the assertion, stating, “This guy who’s president of the United States is sending them to Russia, to a murderous dictator for his personal use,” emphasizing that “people were dying” and “scrambling to get the COVID test kits.” She also condemned the 79-year-old Republican for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 treatment, recalling when Trump suggested that Americans inject “bleach into their blood.”

Harris added, “Do we want a president who’s going to abide by the oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States or someone who is full-time engaged in flattery from Vladimir Putin of Russia and sending COVID testing kits over to him when Americans are dying every day?”

If Trump wins the presidential race, Harris told Stern she fears he might pursue his authoritarian ambitions by imprisoning journalists and protesters, according to a clip shared to X.

A 2020 Pew Research study revealed Americans were upset with Trump’s response to COVID-19.

Harris’ views about Trump’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic are echoed by many. A 2020 Pew Research study revealed that 57% of Americans disapproved of the Republican response to the catastrophic event that claimed millions of lives globally. Many felt he provided misleading information regarding prevention and treatment of the virus. Among that 57%, 23% believed his guidance was mostly wrong while 34% deemed it completely wrong. In contrast, 42% felt his messaging on the coronavirus was either completely right (10%) or mostly right (32%).

Kamala Harris Slams Donald Trump's Response To COVID-19