Charlamagne tha God says Harris surge is not just ‘honeymoon phase’

Radio host Charlamagne tha God brushed off concerns that Democrats’ newfound momentum is just a “honeymoon phase” since they placed Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket, while noting the party needs to do more work ahead of November.

“I think there’s less apathy, but, you know, if I’m the Democrats, I’m not spiking the football yet. The job is not done. You know, you still have to bring this thing home in November,” Charlamagne said in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC News’s “This Week.”

“I think that there’s a lot of energy. People keep calling this the ‘honeymoon phase.’ I don’t think it’s a honeymoon phase. I just think people haven’t been energized in the Democratic Party in a long time,” the “Breakfast Club” host added.

Charlamagne argued that the energy levels in the Democratic Party are comparable to those seen during former President Obama’s first run in 2008.

“I think a lot of voters, you know, even if you’re not a Democrat, if you’re an independent, you know, or an undecided person, you haven’t been this, you haven’t been energized for something in a long time,” he said. “This feels like, woah, it’s like real energy. You want to be involved in some way.”

The comments sharply contrast with remarks the radio host made nearly six months ago, when he said there was “no main-character energy” with President Biden at the top of the ticket.

This changed once Biden withdrew from the race, the host said Sunday, describing Harris as someone with “super main-character energy.”

Harris has energized the Democratic base since she replaced Biden atop the ticket in late July and has seen a surge in the polls against former President Trump.

Her campaign said she drew a crowd of 14,000 people in Philadelphia last Tuesday alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), and 15,000 people attended the vice president’s rally in Detroit last Wednesday.

Trump dismissed the surge in support for Harris, suggesting the vice president’s “honeymoon period” would end eventually.

Charlamagne called on Biden to drop out of the race last year, pointing to his low poll numbers at the time.