‘Everything Is At Stake Right Now!’ VP Kamala Harris Warns There Are Many Forces Weakening Our Democracy

Vice President Kamala Harris told Rev. Al Sharpton that threats to our democracy are foremost in her mind, saying “Everything is at stake right now!”

VP Harris sat for an exclusive interview with the Rev that will air in full on Saturday’s edition of MSNBC’s PoliticsNation. In a preview clip, Sharpton asked the VP what she thinks about when she wakes up every day:

SHARPTON: When you think about, they call it Bidenomics, some of the stuff that you and the President have done and getting through the people, you’re the vice president of the United States, the vice president, and you’re at the official residence. When you wake up in the morning, what do you think about? What is Vice President Harris have on her mind when she wakes up?

I know how all Americans, based on where they are, got a variety thing, but share with me what is it that you have on your mind when you wake up every morning.

HARRIS: Our democracy. Rev, I think everything is at stake right now. When I think about democracy, I think of it as its nature is — there’s a duality, there are two pieces to it. There’s one aspect of a democracy that is about strength.

When a democracy is intact, it strengthens the people. It protects and fights for fundamental freedoms, individual rights. It’s a fight for order against chaos. It strengthens.

On the other hand, democracy, incredibly fragile. It will only be as strong as our willingness to fight for it. And right now, there are many forces that are attempting to purposely, I believe, weaken our democracy, purposely attempting to erode a sense of pride in the fact that we, as the United States, have held ourselves out and have been considered to be one of the strongest democracies in the world.

And right now, in the context of the world, people are watching, wondering what is the future of democracy in America? And I mention that because I have been traveling the world. I have met with over 100 world leaders. Presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, and kings.

And here’s the thing about being the United States of America. When we walk in those rooms, we walk in those rooms, chin up, shoulders back, with the self-appointed and earned authority to talk about the importance of rule of law, human rights, democracy. But the thing about being a role model, people watch what you do to see if it lines up with what you say.

So, one of the things that is — one of the things I wake up thinking about is not only what an erosion of democracy will mean for the American people, what it will mean invariably for people around the world. Can you imagine the young women who are fighting in a country ruled by a dictator or an autocrat, and they’re fighting for just basic rights, and that autocrat looking at them and saying, well, you want to hold up the United States as your example?

Look at what they’re doing. You be quiet. Understand what this means. This is very much on my mind.

Watch above via MSNBC’s PoliticsNation.