‘Banning Certain Behaviors’: Kamala Harris Agreed to Reduce Red Meat Consumption During 2020 Campaign

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by President Joe Biden on Sunday to take his presumptive spot as the Democrats’ 2024 nominee, said she supports changing the government’s dietary guidelines to reduce the consumption of “red meat.”

During a televised town hall before she dropped out of the 2020 election, Harris agreed with a voter who asked about eating less red meat “in light of the impact of the climate change.”

A clip of the discussion has resurfaced online after being posted by RNC Research following Harris’s step into the race on Sunday:

FLASHBACK:

Kamala said she wants to "educate" Americans about their eating habits from the "highest levels of government" — and "BANNING CERTAIN BEHAVIORS," like eating red meat. pic.twitter.com/zy6mk5wFPC

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 21, 2024

“Certain countries have changed their dietary guidelines to reduce the consumption of red meat in light of the impact of the climate change,” the voter said during the 2019 climate crisis CNN town hall. “If elected, will you be supporting a change in dietary guidelines, and then how will you plan on implementing the changes so that people effectively change their diets?”

“Yeah, I mean… There is, I think, of the point that you’re raising… in a broader context, which is that as a nation, we actually have to have a real priority at the highest level of government around what we eat and in terms of healthy eating, because we have a problem in America,” the then-senator responded. 

“And we can talk about all that… We can talk about the amount of sugar in everything… We could talk about soda. We could go on and on,” Harris continued, before saying, “So the answer is yes, but I will also say this… the balance that we have to strike here… is about what government can and should do around creating incentives and then banning certain behaviors.” 

Conceding that she enjoys a cheeseburger “from time to time,” she argued that there should be incentives the government can put into place to get people to “eat in a healthy way” by encouraging moderation and education. 

“And we have to do a much better job of that, and the government has to do a much better job of that,” Harris stated. 

CNN’s Erin Burnett then requested that she clarify her position on red meat, asking, “Would you support changing the dietary guidelines, the food pyramid … reduce red meat specifically?” 

“Yes, I would,” Harris responded.