Kamala Harris says she faces more media scrutiny than past vice presidents: 'It's what it is'

• Kamala Harris said that she receives more media scrutiny than any of her previous predecessors.
• The vice president told Politico that "it is what it is" and she would not complain about the treatment.
• Harris has struggled in public opinion polls, but her defenders said the election could change that.

Vice President Kamala Harris said that she faces more media scrutiny than any of her previous predecessors but she isn't going to complain it's unfair.

"I think that that is the case. … It's what it is," Harris told Politico in an interview published Monday morning. "I'm not going to sit here and say, 'Oh, you know, it's not fair,' because, you know, I am not new to these things."

Harris' reputation has undoubtedly taken a hit. She has at times ranked among her least favorable predecessors in recent memory. The current vice president's defenders often argue that she is being held to an impossible standard as the first woman and first woman of color to hold the office. 

A slew of top staffers also quit during Harris' first year or so in office, heightening the worsening narrative around the vice president. Harris spoke to Politico as she seeks to increase her profile ahead of the 2024 campaign. Some Republican challengers, including former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, have sought to argue that they are really trying to oust Harris in a way to further jab her and increase speculation about President Joe Biden's health.

A former Democratic presidential candidate and US senator, Harris argued that the narratives that span from her rapidly rising star as California attorney general to now ignore the fact that she's always been the same person.

"You would have seen the same thing four years ago. It's always who I've been," Haris said. "So I can't get into people's heads about why they characterize things as being one way or another. It's not as though I've just found myself. I've always been here and never went away."

Former White House Ron Klain said that he always felt the reelection campaign would shift views of Harris.

"I always believed that when we got into the election cycle, she would be more visible and get more praise because she's a very good campaigner," Klain told Politico.

Klain, who has defended Harris, also said that he sees Harris' role as making sure Biden isn't fed bullshit.