Charlamagne tha God says Trump won 'dinner table issues,' Harris has 'nothing to be ashamed about'
Charlamagne tha God said he has "no choice but to be" optimistic about Donald Trump winning the 2024 election, crediting the president-elect's victory to his pitch on "dinner table issues."
"I do believe in the future of this country because I have no choice but to," the popular radio host told ABC's "This Week" in an interview that aired on Sunday. "You know, I think what the vice president said in her concession speech was right on point when she said, you know, the light of America's promise still shines bright. I have no reason to feel otherwise"
Charlamagne interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris in October. The wide-ranging conversation included Harris' plan to legalize marijuana and look into reparations for Black Americans, as well as allegations from Trump's critics that his vision for the country constitutes fascism.
During his interview with "This Week" Charlamagne said Harris "needs to get a lot more credit" for reviving Democratic hopes after President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race following a disastrous debate performance over the summer
"I think that the vice president made a lot of people sit up on the couch and pay attention and at least be curious. With Biden, everybody was just knocked out, sleep gone."
But when asked why he thought Trump was able to make inroads in some Democratic strongholds, the radio host said he believes it was "because of dinner table issues," arguing Trump's messaging to voters throughout the election remained more focused on the border and the cost of living.
"Every day people wake up and all they want to do is have more money in their pocket and they want to feel safe. I don't care if you're black, white, gay, straight, whatever religion you are, those are the two things that you're thinking about every day. How can I keep some money in my pocket and how can I stay safe?"
"'Build the wall' may sound elementary, but you know what that signals to people? Border security. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less," he added.
Karl asked Charlamagne if he'd spoken to Harris since her loss and what he plans to say next time he sees her. The radio host said he had not spoken to the vice president yet, but he would tell her "She had nothing to be ashamed about. You – she ran a great campaign and only had 100 days to do it."
When asked if Harris should have done more to distance herself from the Biden administration and present a different vision for the nation, Charlamagne told Karl "if she wanted to go in a different direction, she should have expressed that. And once again, that goes back to messaging. That goes back to communication."
Charlamagne also said he reached out to Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, congratulating her on the win and saying that he hopes Trump's White House "is going to be an administration for all Americans."
"I just have to have a sense of optimism because he still is the president of the United States of America," he said. "I'm not wishing for America to fail. Why would I want that?"
Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the Paste BN Network. He can be reached at vhagan@gannett.com or on X @TheVictorHagan. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.