During a sit-down town hall alongside former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Vice President Kamala Harris explained what her common phrase “turn the page” means and how she loves Generation Z.
“You talk a lot about a new way forward — about turning the page. What is on the next page?” town hall moderator Sarah Longwell, the publisher of the Bulwark, asked Harris at a campaign event on Monday in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
“You want a preview?” Harris asked Longwell.
“First of all, I will say it is a metaphor meant to also describe my intentions to embark on a new generation of leadership and mine will not be a continuation of the Biden administration,” the vice president said, adding, “I bring to it my own ideas and experiences. But it is also about moving past what I think has been the last decade of the American discourse being influenced by Donald Trump.”
The Democratic presidential nominee accused Trump of using the presidency to “demean and divide us.”
Harris went on to propose not requiring college degrees for federal jobs.
“Let‘s look at which of those jobs would benefit from a skilled, experienced worker who perhaps went through an apprenticeship program, not a four-year college, but still got a four-year degree in essence. So these are the kinds of things that are about seeing the opportunities in this moment and investing in it,” she said.
The vice president then pivoted by saying, “I know this is a controversial topic for many of us. … I love Gen Z.”
Harris added with a laugh, “Because we have Gen Zs in our lives. We have kids who are Gen Zs. It can be complicated, I know. I love Gen Z. … They are clear-eyed.”
“They have only known the climate crisis. They have only known active shooter drills,” she continued. “But they are so wonderfully impatient. No, really, that is good. That is good. They are ready to get in there. Let‘s invest in them.”
Social media users were quick to offer reminders of Harris’s 2014 remarks as the then-attorney general of California, when she referred to young people in the 18-24 age demographic as “stupid.”
NEW: Kamala Harris tells a crowd that she “loves Gen Z,” a complete 180 from her previous opinion that she thought young people were “stupid.”
Harris today: “I love Gen Z because we have Gen Zs in our lives… I know I love Gen Z.”
Harris in 2015: “What else do we know about… pic.twitter.com/OQqCRGVzJt
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 21, 2024
“And it’s a specific phase of life, remember, age is more than a chronological fact. What else do we know about this population, 18-24? They are stupid! That is why we put them in dormitories and they have a resident assistant. They make really bad decisions!” Harris had said in a viral clip.
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Harris was speaking in 2014 about a program to reduce recidivism among young people.
In a recent NBC News Stay Tuned Gen Z Poll, half of Gen Z voters said they supported Harris over former President Donald Trump.
