"THE 11th HOUR WITH BRIAN
WILLIAMS" STARTS NOW.
>>> WELL, GOOD EVENING.
ONCE AGAIN, DAY 1300 OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
84 DAYS TO GO UNTIL OUR
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, AND 57
DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE VICE
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE BETWEEN MIKE
PENCE AND KAMALA HARRIS, WHICH
NICELY BRINGS US TO OUR LEAD
STORY TONIGHT, A BIG ENOUGH
STORY TO DISPLACE THE PANDEMIC
AT THE TOP OF THIS BROADCAST.
BARRING DISASTER, THE DEMOCRATIC
TICKET WILL BE BIDEN/HARRIS.
THE 55-YEAR-OLD CALIFORNIA
SENATOR WILL APPEAR WITH JOE
BIDEN TOMORROW IN DELAWARE, AS
CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AS THE CDC
ALLOWS.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME
ELECTRONICALLY THIS AFTERNOON.
THE SECRET HELD WHILE BIDEN
NOTIFIED THE OTHERS OF HIS
CHOICE AND, MAKE NO MISTAKE,
THIS IS HISTORIC.
KAMALA HARRIS IS THE FIRST BLACK
WOMAN AND THE FIRST PERSON OF
INDIAN DESCENT TO BE NOMINATED
FOR NATIONAL OFFICE BY A MAJOR
PARTY IN OUR COUNTRY.
SHE WAS JOE BIDEN’S RIVAL DURING
THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES,
ANNOUNCING HER OWN PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN BACK IN JANUARY OF
2019.
DURING HIS NOW DAILY BRIEFING,
THE PRESIDENT ATTACKED HARRIS ON
HEALTH CARE, MILITARY FUNDING,
PETROLEUM AND TAXES, AND SAID HE
WAS SURPRISED AT HER SELECTION.
>> SHE WAS MY NUMBER ONE DRAFT
PICK AND WE’LL SEE HOW SHE WORKS
OUT.
SHE DID VERY, VERY POORLY IN THE
PRIMARIES, AS YOU KNOW.
SHE WAS EXPECTED TO DO WELL.
I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED HE
PICKED HER.
SHE WAS VERY, VERY NASTY TO --
ONE OF THE REASONS IT SURPRISED
ME, SHE WAS VERY DISRESPECTFUL
TO JOE BIDEN, AND IT’S HARD TO
PICK SOMEBODY THAT’S THAT
DISRESPECTFUL.
>> TRUMP IS REFERRING TO HARRIS’
STINGING REMARKS, A HAYMAKER
DELIVERED TO BIDEN DURING THE
VERY FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE OF
THE LONG PRIMARY SEASON.
THIS WAS BACK IN JUNE 2019.
>> I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU ARE A
RACIST.
IT WAS HURTFUL TO HEAR YOU TALK
ABOUT THE REPUTATIONS OF TWO
UNITED STATES SENATORS WHO BUILT
THEIR REPUTATIONS AND CAREER ON
THE SEGREGATION OF RACE IN THIS
COUNTRY.
IT WAS NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU
ALSO WORKED WITH THEM TO OPPOSE
BUSSING.
YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A LITTLE
GIRL IN CALIFORNIA WHO WAS PART
OF THE SECOND CLASS TO INTEGRATE
HER PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SHE WAS
BUSSED TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY, AND
THAT LITTLE GIRL WAS ME.
>> SO, FAST FORWARD FROM THAT
NIGHT TO JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO.
WE SHOWED THIS TO YOU ON THE
AIR.
JOE BIDEN WAS PHOTOGRAPHED,
HOLDING HANDWRITTEN NOTES IN
ANTICIPATION OF A QUESTION ABOUT
HARRIS.
IT HAD HER NAME AT THE TOP,
ALONG WITH A SET OF TALKING
POINTS, INCLUDING THE WORDS "DO
NOT HOLD GRUDGES."
IN FACT, TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
MEANS HE CHOSE THE CANDIDATE WHO
TOOK THE BIGGEST SWING AT HIM
DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
IN ANNOUNCING HER SELECTION,
BIDEN DESCRIBED HIS FORMER RIVAL
AS, QUOTE, SOMEONE WHO
UNDERSTANDS THAT WE ARE IN THE
BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF THIS
NATION.
IN HIS ANNOUNCEMENT, HE ADDED HE
WAS INFLUENCED BY KAMALA HARRIS’
FRIENDSHIP WITH JOE BIDEN’S LATE
SON, WRITING THIS, QUOTE, I
FIRST MET KAMALA THROUGH MY SON,
BEAU.
THEY WERE BOTH ATTORNEYS GENERAL
AT THE SAME TIME.
HE HAD ENORMOUS RESPECT FOR HER
AND HER WORK.
I THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THAT AS I
MADE THIS DECISION.
THERE IS NO ONE’S OPINION I
VALUED MORE THAN BEAU’S.
AND THIS LATE TODAY FROM
PRESIDENT OBAMA ON HIS FIRMER
RUNNING MATE’S CHOICE OF A
RUNNING MATE, QUOTE, BY CHOOSING
SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS AS
AMERICA’S NEXT VICE PRESIDENT,
HE’S UNDERSCORED HIS OWN