Senator Booker questioned on Kamala Harris’ ‘incumbent VP’ campaign message at DNC: ‘A new chapter begins’

CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., on Sunday about the Democratic effort to brand Vice President Harris’ candidacy as a “new chapter,” despite the fact that she is the incumbent vice president. 

“Democrats have controlled the White House for 12 of the last 16 years. How can Democrats talk about a new chapter, turning the page? You guys are the ones writing the book,” Tapper said during his interview with Booker. 

The CNN segment cited Harris saying during her speech at the DNC that Americans had a chance “to chart a new way forward.” Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, also said he was “ready to turn the page on these guys,” referring to the GOP, and Former President Obama said during his speech at the DNC that America is “ready for a new chapter” and a “better story.” 

“You know that that‘s not true, Jake, because you know politics like I do. Right now, we see the MAGA Republicans in Congress killing all kinds of pragmatic policies that we need to get done on the most contentious issue,” Booker responded, referring to the border bill that was killed by Republican members of Congress. 

35 DAYS: KAMALA HARRIS HAS NOT HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE EMERGING AS PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE

“To say that the MAGA Republicans are not still undermining common sense, pragmatic, sensible politics is just wrong. And what I know this election can do is finally kill that strain of the Republican Party, in a way that I think helps the pragmatic Republicans come back,” Booker continued. 

Booker said he can’t stand “tribalism,” and praised the Republicans who spoke at the DNC. 

“This is really a binary choice: are we going to have the politics of Donald Trump, which is smear and fear, denigration and demeaning, or are we going to have a page be turned in America where we get back to coming together, meeting in the middle, showing that we can compromise and actually get big things done as a nation,” Booker said. 

CNN’s Scott Jennings argued on Tuesday that Harris was campaigning on change while also supposedly working to solve the problems right now in the White House. 

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid)

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“For all the talk about divisions and problems in the country and people are hurting, Democrats have mostly controlled this country…. and somehow it’s still all [former President] Trump’s fault, and somehow she hasn’t been at the center of it,” Jennings said.

“So to me, that’s still the glaring hole of this campaign that hasn’t yet been solved at this convention. How do you explain all the problems that will be solved, by the person who is currently in there, for the past 3.5 years, that is supposed to already be working on solving them?” he added. 

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The political commentator’s criticism came amid a chorus of enthusiasm from liberal commentators on the network praising former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama’s speeches that night. 

Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.