Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is confident that the American people are ready for a woman of color to hold the highest office in the country.
The former attorney general of California stopped by ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday to discuss her new memoir The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. The conversation quickly veered towards the highly anticipated 2020 presidential race that has many wondering which Democrats will throw their hat into the ring.
Although Harris said she has yet to decide if she will run in 2020, she was definitely certain on one point: The U.S. is “absolutely” ready for a woman of color to be president.
“I’m not saying that about myself, but I am saying that about the capacity of the American public,” Harris said in response to View co-host Abby Huntsman’s question on whether the country was ready for the first woman of color president following President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We need to give the American public more credit,” Harris added. ”They are smarter than that.”
When co-host Joy Behar asked if the “likability” challenge that so many women in leadership positions face still exists, Harris recalled a powerful lesson her mother taught her when she was younger.
“Despite a woman’s role in the world, there are still certain myths of what a woman can and cannot do,” Harris said, citing her mother.
As the first woman and the first person of color to fill the role of California attorney general, Harris said her mother warned her about society’s stereotypes regarding women, specifically beliefs that lead some people to reject women in leadership.
“In spite of the fact that it is the woman who is the lioness, protecting those cubs. In spite of the fact that it is the woman at the kitchen table at midnight balancing those books,” Harris said in response to those myths.
“There are so many myths that we still are challenged with,” she continued. “But with each woman who gains success, I think there is a greater appreciation and understanding of the capacity and breadth and depth of who women are and what we can do.”
Watch Harris’ full interview below.