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In every friendship group, you tend to find two stark personality types: there’s always the one who knows how to keep it cool, and then there’s the one who will always tell it like it is.
Granted, we don’t see Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Maxine Waters scheduling sleepovers in The Oval Office or having girl talk about the men of Congress (we hope!), they each adapted a respective “friendship role” at this year’s Essence Festival. While VP kept her three c’s intact as many continue to show doubt in the re-election run thus far by President Joe Biden, Auntie Maxine took the no-holds-barred approach in her public address to his returning GOP opponent, Donald Trump.
RELATED: Moments From The 2024 Essence Festival That Everyone Is Talking About
As you can see from the clip posted above by Don Lemon — they each spoke at the Global Black Economic Forum’s Public Convention during Essence Fest — Water’s public address felt more like a political rant. However, it was comprised of words that needed to be said for many Americans who might be needing a reminder right now.
Full breakdown below, via The Hollywood Reporter:
“During that panel, Waters dismissed concerns about Biden’s age by referencing her own age. ‘We are now at a point and time where people are talking about Biden is too old; hell I’m older than Biden,’ to thunderous applause, prompting the entire panel and the audience to stand.
While still on her feet, the long-serving Los Angeles congresswoman didn’t mince words about the character of the former president. ‘Trump has told you who he is. He defined himself,’ she said. ‘He is a no-good, deplorable, lying despicable human being.’
She also added that his talk of an impending civil war should not be taken as an idle threat: ‘You know he means business because he is the one that led the invasion of the Capitol Jan. 6.’
‘Do we have to talk about the difference between these two? There ain’t gonna be no other Democratic candidate. It’s going to be Biden and you better know it,’ she said before later adding, ‘He should have done better in the debate, but hell, he’s already starting to do better. Did you see the latest interview? And he gets stronger and he’s going to do better every day.’”
Harris herself never directly addressed the perceived underwhelming performance of Biden that began last month with the first presidential debate, instead standing firm in her administration’s policies — women’s reproductive health; Black maternal care; student loan relief; decreasing the price of insulin — and the hard-to-accept fact for some that Biden will be the one running in November with her full support.
With only 118 days left until Election Day 2024, a number that gets smaller and smaller by the day, there’s no better time than now for everyone to get clear on who will be inaugurated into The White House this coming January. See what others are saying on social media below about the topic at hand:
1. At this point let’s just vote Maxine Waters for president 🤭🇺🇸💙✨
via @OMG_ItsEssence_
2. I LOVE @MaxineWaters !👏🏾
via @Feliciamabuza
3. Maxine was a riot. I loved her. She really brought the house down And she asked specifically why no one told McConnell to resign when he had a drool moment back in January Nvm we know exactly why.
via @HarlemJ11
4. Auntie Maxine Waters is speaking the truth and shaming the devil
via @wondermann5
5. ‘This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime. We have said it every four years, but this one here is it’ — Speaking at Essence Festival, Vice President Kamala Harris kept the spotlight on the dangers that a second Trump term poses
via @nowthisimpact
6. VP Kamala Harris shines at Essence Festival in front of a packed house. She talks about the ex-president w his newly minted 34 felonies, being granted “total immunity” by Supreme Court justices he put on the court. Take a listen.⬇️
via @fiercefreckled
7. Kamala nailed it. She’s definitely an asset on the campaign trail!
via @DenisonBarbs
8. Since everyone is talking about Kamala Harris @VP , and #EssenceFest2024 just happened, here’s a throwback tweet … I wrote the first profile on Kamala for @Essence mag way back in 2011 …
via @NidaKhanNY
9. If reporters are looking for VP Harris to prolong the press appetite for narrative around Biden, they are sadly mistaken. VP is focused on the threat Trump is to our lives and democracy. I for one am happy she’s focused on US.
via @Gardenia_Guyana
10. Kamala Told yall. Maxine Told yall. AOC Told yall. Joe Told yall. Biden/Harris 2024…Act accordingly.
via @FiyahKixx
