A lot has changed in the United States’ political landscape over the past 24 hours, with President Joe Biden announcing his withdrawal from the upcoming presidential election and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the role over the weekend. And now, Lizzo is doing her part to make sure that the new Democratic front-runner’s campaign isn’t dimmed by baseless criticism before it even gets off the ground.
In a video posted to Instagram Monday (July 22) — just hours after Biden announced he would no longer be seeking reelection the day prior — the hitmaker specifically took aim at naysayers who allege that Harris has achieved nothing in the past few years as the country’s second in command.
“For everyone saying that Kamala Harris didn’t do anything when she was VP, please, for $5,000, do not use Google, tell me what any vice president has ever done during their term that was notable that you noticed,” Lizzo addresses the camera in the clip while wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.
“The vice president’s job is to take a backseat and support while the president does everything that’s forward-facing,” she continued. “It’s funny because when Joe Biden was VP, the only things I really remember him doing was making cool videos with Barack [Obama], but when he ran for president, I didn’t hear that same, ‘He didn’t do anything when he was VP’ from people. So I wonder why y’all are saying it now.”
“Can we all just be for real?” the “About Damn Time” singer added. “Let’s all be for real and say our quiet parts out loud, because the discourse is tired.”
In fact, Harris has spent much of her tenure as vice president working to strengthen global alliances by meeting with more than 150 international leaders abroad, according to the White House, as well as casting a record 33 tie-breaking votes in the senate, at one point effectively passing the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The first Black woman and South Asian American to be elected to the position of VP, she also closely assisted Biden in tackling issues related to healthcare, gun safety, unemployment and more.
Lizzo was one of the first musicians to publicly react to the news that Biden had removed himself from the presidential race after months of campaigning for reelection, shortly after which he posted his endorsement of Harris on social media. “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote in a letter addressed to “My Fellow Americans.”
“We are truly living in unprecedented times,” the Grammy winner marveled in an Instagram post before sharing her video defending Harris.
Watch Lizzo’s video below.