Vice President Kamala Harris isn't having any talk about Sen. Joe Manchin being in charge of the U.S. government ... and she clapped back when Charlamagne Tha God, legitimately, raised the issue.
The Veep chatted with Charlamagne Friday for his Comedy Central show, 'Tha God's Honest Truth' ... and it was a mostly congenial interaction. He asked Harris if she felt she gets "crucified" for every move because she's a woman of color -- and she sidestepped a direct response, saying she's focused on her work, not her haters.
But, Charlamagne struck a nerve with his take on the current political standoff between President Biden's administration and Sen. Manchin over the "Build Back Better" bill.
He told the VP ... "You get villainized for silly things like air buds, when [Manchin is] really stopping progress." She played smart politics and refrained from attacking Manchin ... whose vote they desperately need, if the bill's gonna get through in some form.
When he followed up with, "So, who is the President: Is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?" ... an aide for Harris jumped in to cut off the interview.
Charlamagne skillfully persisted though, and coaxed a pretty heated response out of her -- "Come on, Charlamagne ... no, no, no, no. It's Joe Biden. And, don't start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he's President. It's Joe Biden. And, I'm Vice President and my name is Kamala Harris."
Mic drop?
She went on to passionately explain that negotiating with the other side -- even if that includes Manchin -- is just part of the game in DC and, in the end, Charlamagne gave her props, saying ... "That Kamala Harris -- that's the one I like."