John Legend on Kamala Harris’ Campaign: ‘I Feel So Optimistic’

John Legend, who swiftly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday after President Biden ended his campaign, had just arrived in San Francisco when my phone rang.

Here for two concerts tonight and tomorrow with the San Francisco Symphony, Legend and I were scheduled to talk about his current tour. But it was soon clear that he had one thing on his mind: the defeat of Donald Trump, and Harris’ ability to make it happen.

After some chit-chat about music and the Bay Area, Legend lit up when the topic swung to Harris and her candidacy. Read his thoughts below.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

KQED: One of the Bay Area’s own, born in Oakland, is suddenly now the Democratic frontrunner: Kamala Harris.

John Legend: Absolutely! Absolutely. I’m very excited.

I saw you publicly endorsed her. How are you feeling about her campaign, about her chances?

I feel so optimistic. I feel like she’s ready for this moment. Even in the past few weeks, when there were a lot of rumblings about whether or not President Biden would bow out, you could just see her rising to the occasion. I believe she’s truly ready.

Have you spent time with her? What are your impressions of her as a person, face-to-face?

I’ve met her many times. I helped raise money for her Senate campaign, and I think I helped raise money for her Attorney General campaign, too. And we were recently with her at the White House, where my wife hosted an event with her, speaking about reproductive rights and the fight to restore reproductive rights around the country.

She’s extremely smart. She’s extremely personable, fun to talk to and engaging. She really listens, and is really empathetic. And I think she’s really well prepared for this moment, prepared to campaign — but also prepared to be president.

In your own words, why do you think it’s important that she beats Trump?

Trump represents a very unique danger to the country. We’ve seen his contempt for democracy. We’ve seen it through the insurrection he encouraged on January 6th. We’ve seen it in his attempts to demonize and defame election workers. We’ve seen it in his lying and whining about losing the 2020 election. He cannot be trusted with our democracy.

And, as we saw through his handling of the COVID pandemic, he can’t be trusted with our public health. He can’t be trusted with our climate, because he doesn’t even believe climate change is real. There’s so many reasons why he shouldn’t lead our country. If you do any reading about Project 2025 and you see what he and his henchmen are planning for our country, they’re planning to destroy our democracy in multiple ways. And we’ve got to do everything we can to prevent that from happening.

What do you think Kamala’s strong points are as a candidate, to beat him?

She clearly can make the case. She knows how to joyfully campaign, but also prosecute the case at the same time. And I think she has that right combination of charisma, intelligence and the ability to very clearly draw the distinction between her vision for the country and Donald Trump’s.

Is there any one particular issue in this election year you’re especially concerned about – climate, immigration, the economy, abortion?

Well, all of it matters. And all of it points to voting for Kamala Harris! As you think about the climate, the Biden-Harris administration just made the biggest investment in fighting climate change that the United States has ever made with the Inflation Reduction Act. So much of that investment is going into new technologies that will help us fight climate change. The Republican Party wants to roll all that back and claim that climate change isn’t even happening.

And then, when it comes to reproductive rights, it’s something that’s very close to my family’s heart. They want the government to tell women what to do with their bodies. They’re willing to risk women’s lives in order to force them to carry pregnancies to term. It’s just so clear, the difference. I can’t imagine putting them back in power and allowing them to wreak havoc on so many freedoms that we hold dear.

Lastly, for all the for all the disillusioned voters out there: Why should they have hope?

Well, first of all, I get the sense that a lot of that disillusionment is evaporating. A lot of people are getting motivated and energized by this change. I think it was the right change to make, at the right time. I’m seeing the energy from so many components of the Democratic base: young people, Black people, Asian people, women.

The motivation and the momentum are definitely going in the right direction now. So I’m excited. I think people are getting fired up. And for all the reasons I said before, I think there are plenty of reasons that this election is going to matter in people’s lives. And they need to make sure they are engaged not only in voting, but organizing and encouraging their friends and family to vote as well.

John Legend performs with the San Francisco Symphony on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 23 and 24, at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. Tickets and details here.