(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he was “a little surprised” that Democratic challenger Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate, saying she had been “nasty” to the former vice president in primary debates.
“She was my number one pick” to run with Biden, Trump said at a Tuesday news conference.
Trump attacked Harris for her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations during his Senate confirmation hearings to join the Supreme Court.
“I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the U.S. Senate,” Trump said.
As a private citizen, Trump donated twice to Harris when she was a candidate for attorney general of California. He contributed a total of $6,000 to her campaign committee in 2011 and 2013 combined, according to state records.
Minutes after Biden announced Harris as his pick on Tuesday, Trump tweeted a campaign ad calling Harris a “phony,” saying she criticized Biden for supporting “racist policies” when they ran against each other for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Earlier: Biden Picks California Senator Kamala Harris as His Running Mate
Harris, 55, became the first Black woman and first Asian-American on a major party presidential ticket. Known as an aggressive campaigner, she has won statewide elections three times in California. She built her early career as district attorney of San Francisco and was elected as the state's attorney general.
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