Psaki brief: Leaked Tapes, Harris’s Book, Harris To Border, Unity 4/26/2021

On 4/26/2021, during the news briefing, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Psaki to clarify Harris’ recent remarks that she had not made any migrant crisis-related trips due to coronavirus risks. “Well, I would certainly have to ask her team about that specifically, but I would tell you also that her focus is not on the border. It’s on addressing the root causes in the Northern Triangle,” Psaki said.

“That’s why the majority of her time has been spent on working on a diplomatic level. She is going to have a bilateral meeting with the president of Guatemala this afternoon. She’s going to speak with the president of Mexico next week, and she’s working with them to ensure there are systems put in place to reduce the amount of migration coming from these countries, but also to address the root causes. And that’s really what the president asked her to do,” the press secretary added.

Psaki implied that Harris may not travel to the border for security reasons, although the vice president has recently made trips to states like Colorado and Illinois. “If a president or a vice president goes down and visits a facility like this, you have to potentially clear some parts out. There’s a lot of security that comes. Our focus here is on solutions, on making progress, on moving these kids out of facilities,” Psaki said.

Doocy also asked about news that copies of Harris’ children’s book “Superheroes Are Everywhere,” published in 2019, were given to migrant children arriving in the U.S. “Of the vice president’s book? I’d have to check with our Health and Human Services team,” Psaki said. “I’d have to certainly check on that. I hear it’s a good book,” she later said.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio. Verified against official transcript.

• And congratulations, and that’s embarrassing
• First, Vice President Harris says that she’s not gone to the border yet because we have to deal with COVID issues
• Well, I would certainly have to ask her team about that specifically, but I would tell you also that her focus is not on the border
• It’s on addressing the root causes in the Northern Triangle
• Reduce the amount of migration coming from these countries, but also to address the root causes, and that’s really what the President has asked her to do
• That’s certainly, and we’ve made some progress on that front even over the last few weeks since you got married, I will say, on that exact issue
• So, look, but if the President or Vice President goes down and visits a facility like this, you have to potentially clear some parts out
• There was a report in the last couple of days in the New York Post that every migrant child being brought to a shelter is being given a copy of her children’s books
• Do you know why that is and if she is making any money off of that
• I’d have to check with our Health and Human Services team if you’re talking about if they go to shelters or if they go to

Full transcript: 9296 words transcribed via Whisper AI.

Key Moments

Verified against official transcript from the White House Archives.

“We certainly know that the number of people who are in facilities, the reason we have been so focused on expediting moving kids out of these border patrol facilities is because we want to reduce the public health impact in these facilities and get them into spaces where we can do social distancing and when we can ensure these kids have access to health, you know, health and medical experts and educational resources”

“But we are looking at ways that we can take steps, as we are for people who haven’t even taken their first dose, or their only dose if they’re doing Johnson & Johnson, to help address, including ensuring that we have more mobile sites that we are, as we announced last week, providing, ensuring there’s an opportunity for paid leave, that we are working in partnership with doctors to make it easier”

“Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the United States has already authorized and available in large quantity, and that is available in large quantities, including two two-dose vaccines and one one-dose vaccine, and given AstraZeneca is not authorized for use in the United States, we do not need to use AstraZeneca in our fight against COVID over the next few months”

“When the vice president spoke last with the president of Guatemala on March 30th, they agreed to collaborate on promoting economic development, leveraging technology, strengthening climate resilience, and creating the conditions to expand opportunity for people in their home countries in order to address the root causes of migration”

“He will lay out the specific details of the American family’s plan in that speech, but he will also talk about a range of priorities that he has for the upcoming months of his presidency, including putting in place, working with Congress to put in place police reform, including doing more to expand access to affordable health care” — Psaki