WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris defended her values on Thursday and promised to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if elected, her first major interview since launching her presidential campaign a little more than a month ago.
Harris, who rose to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden withdrew his bid in July, spoke with CNN’s Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia, for about 30 minutes with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at her side.
The interview took place a week after Harris formally adopted party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Harris has recently come under fire for not yet participating in an unscripted interview with a major news outlet.
Harris and the Waltz he sat down with the station’s host on Thursday afternoon in Georgia during a break in the pair’s two-day bus tour of the southeastern part of the state, which was a key moment in the show’s history.
Harris told Bash she intends to build an “opportunity economy” for the middle class, including expanding the child tax credit to $6,000, providing a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and combating “price gouging,” which Harris attributed to high grocery prices.
The vice president cited Democratic accomplishments under Biden, including setting a cap on the price of insulin and reducing child poverty with a fleeting expansion of the child tax credit that eliminated work requirements and paid families money in monthly installments.
“I will say it’s a good job, there’s still a lot to do, but it’s a good job,” Harris said.
The CNN anchor pressed Harris on changes to her policy positions, including on immigration and fracking.
Republicans have pounced on Harris’ past statements, accusing her of changing her tone to appeal to more centrist voters. Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday called her “FLIP-FLOPPING KAMALA” on his Truth Social platform, where the GOP presidential candidate posts multiple times a day.
“Let’s be clear, I’m the only person in this race who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations that traffic in weapons, drugs and people,” Harris said when asked about her past stance on decriminalizing the border. “I’m the only person in this race who has actually served as attorney general of a border state to enforce our laws, and I will enforce our laws as president in the future, I see the problem.”
Harris also defended her decision to change her stance from opposing fracking to supporting it.
“I think the most important and meaningful aspect of my political perspective and decisions is that my values have not changed. I have always believed and worked to ensure that the climate crisis is real,” Harris said.
Despite attacks from Republicans, Bash noted that there were many Republican speakers at the Democratic National Convention.
Encouraged by Bash’s idea, Harris said it would “be beneficial to the American people” if she appointed a Republican to her Cabinet if elected — though she did not name any.
“I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I believe it is important to have people with different views and different experiences at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made,” she said.
Harris shrugs off Trump’s insults
The interview suggests that for many, Harris and Trump have never met face to face. They will do so for the first time this year. debate scene On September 10, the event will be broadcast on ABC News.
As for her thoughts on Trump, Harris told Bash that the former president “diminishes the character and strength of who we are as Americans.”
When Bash asked Harris to respond to Trump’s attacks, including questioning her raceThe Vice President addressed them only briefly.
“Same old, boring instructions, next question please,” she said.
Bash then moved on to the topic of Israel’s war with Hamas, to which Harris responded that she is “unequivocal and unwavering in her commitment to defending Israel and its ability to defend itself,” adding that “the way it does that matters.”
She reiterated her call for a peace agreement that includes the release of hostages held by Hamas.
“The deal is not only the right thing to do to end this war, but it will also unblock so much of what needs to happen. I have remained committed, since I was appointed on October 8, to what we need to do to work toward a two-state solution in which Israel is safe and, equally, Palestinians have security, self-determination and dignity.”
Walz’s Defense
Bash asked Walz to respond to the controversy over how he described his military service, which spanned more than two decades in the Army National Guard but never included a combat deployment. The questions arose when Walz said he carried a gun “into war” in a 2018 video in which he spoke about gun violence, According to to the Associated Press.
Walz, who also worked as a public school teacher and high school football coach, admitted that he sometimes spoke incorrectly and that his “grammar isn’t always correct.”
“I wear my emotions on the outside, I speak passionately about our kids being shot in schools and around guns. So I think people know me. They know who I am. They know where my heart is, and again, my record has been there for over 40 years and it speaks for itself,” Walz said.
Bash also asked Walz about a mistake that occurred when he and his wife described the fertility treatment; he said it was in vitro fertilization — topic which divided the anti-abortion electorate — when in fact the couple had opted for artificial insemination.
Walz told Bash, “I certainly take responsibility for my mistakes when I make them.”
“I talked about our infertility issues, because it’s hell, and families know that. I also talked about the treatments available to us that have given us these beautiful children. It’s quite a contrast to the people who are trying to take those rights away from us,” he said.
Shortly after the interview ended, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, “BOREDOM!!!”
