Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that she had chosen a life of public service over wealth, despite her and her husband being worth $8 million.
The vice president spoke about wealth during a conversation with voters in Charlotte, North Carolina about economic opportunity.
‘As far as I’m concerned, the pursuit of wealth creation is a good thing. If one chooses to do so. I, on the other hand, have chosen to live a life of public service,” she said with a laugh.
The wealth roundtable was moderated by former South Carolina state representative and CNN political analyst Bakari Sellars and actor Michael Ealy
Harris said she preferred people who pursued wealth.
US Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (R) arrive to attend a state dinner
“I’m all about ‘get yours’ if that’s what you want,” she said. ‘And that’s what this tour is about.’
Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff certainly “got” theirs after the couple got married in 2014. Emhoff made millions from his law firm Venable and DLA Piper as an entertainment lawyer.
The couple is currently worth approximately $8 million according to Unpleasant Forbescompared to $7 million in 2021.
Harris and Emhoff own a Los Angeles home worth $4.4 million and she not only enjoys an annual salary of $235,100 as vice president, but sold her San Francisco apartment for $860,000 and the couple’s apartment in Washington , DC for $1.85 million.
The couple currently lives in the vice president’s residence at the Naval Observatory, an 80-acre campus. The 9,150-square-foot house has 33 rooms and a large swimming pool.
The official residence of the Vice President of the United States on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory in Washington.
US Vice President Kamala Harris at the Vice President’s Residence
Harris has also made more than $500,000 from the sales of her memoir and children’s book.
She is expected to receive $8,200 per month from her California pensions as a result of her positions as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general.
Harris criticized Republicans in Washington DC who opposed her and Biden’s efforts to cancel student debt, suggesting they were hypocrites.
“Let’s be clear about this, they didn’t want this, they said, ‘Well, I’ve got mine, you should be able to do yours’ rather than again taking into account what we’ve already discussed in terms of where people start’ she said. ‘Not everyone starts on the same footing, right? And that is part of our mentality when we think about this.’
The vice president said she met many people who were grateful for the government’s efforts to cancel their student debt.
“Please testify,” she said, laughing.
Harris encouraged the audience to dream big, despite what the naysayers and critics said about them.
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event
President Joe Biden listens with Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gen. Doug Emhoff during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House
‘Dream with ambition and never apologize for your ambition. …I’ll also say this: I eat no for breakfast. I don’t hear no,’ she said.
Harris spoke about historical economic inequality for black people, using the example of a princess in a fairy tale who suffers from discomfort.
“You’ll probably notice from the things I’m describing that we’re looking at the specific parts of the system that have long been overlooked,” she said. ‘Do you know that story about the Princess and the Pea? That seemingly small thing that makes all the difference? These specific aspects of the system have stopped people from achieving their dreams.”