vice president Kamala Harris On Thursday, he gave his first sit-down interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee his agenda for 2025 and a number of topics he has avoided until now — and drew immediate criticism from his Republican rival, Donald Trump.
Harris presented himself as a pragmatist in a much-anticipated interview he gave to CNN’s Dana Bash alongside fellow candidate Tim Walz. Harris tried to strike a balance between defending the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration and charting her own path if elected president, as she answered questions about how some of her policy positions have changed since she last ran for president.
“I believe it’s important to build consensus and find common ground to understand where we can really solve problems,” Harris said.
Here are five takeaways from the interview.
He defends his changing positions
Harris has shifted his position on some key issues since running for president in 2019 and trying to win over progressive Democratic primary voters by sponsoring Medicare for All, supporting the Green New Deal, decriminalizing immigration and opposing fracking. , a method of extracting natural gas or oil, known as “fracking”.
“The most important and most important aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is that my values have not changed,” he said, adding that “the climate crisis is real” and that he continues to believe the White House is taking steps to address it. inflation reduction law.
On fracking, Harris said he promised during the 2020 vice presidential debate that he wouldn’t try to ban fracking, “and I’m not going to go ahead.” He continued, “I voted as vice president to increase the leases for fracking.”
(Harris He said in the 2020 debate Mike Pence vs. “Joe Biden Won’t Ban Fracking.”)
Harris added that there could be a “clean energy economy that thrives without banning fracking.”
Regarding those who cross the border illegally, he said: “I believe that there should be consequences for this. We have laws that must be followed and this address must be followed and people who cross our border illegally must be dealt with.” He also criticized Trump for pushing Republicans to kill a bipartisan border security bill.
“My value of what we have to do to protect our border — that value hasn’t changed. I served two terms as California attorney general to prosecute transnational criminal organizations,” he said.
Cutting through Trump’s rhetoric about his own race
Trump attempted to attack Harris’ racial identity, falsely claiming that he used to be Indian American and had only recently started identifying as black.
Harris did not engage.
“Same old, tired playbook,” he said. “Next question, please.”
Harris presented Trump as a politician of the past, calling him “really someone who is pushing an agenda and environment to diminish our identity and power as Americans, and to divide our nation.”
“And I think people are ready to turn the page on that,” he said.
It reflects Harris’ approach to the campaign since taking over from Biden last month: Running his own race as opposed to focusing on what Trump says day-to-day.
His “Day One” agenda
Harris said his “Day One” agenda as president would be to begin “implementing what I call an opportunity economy,” referring to his recent economic proposals to cut spending.
“The prices, especially for food products, are still very high. The American people know it. “I know that,” he said. “That’s why my agenda includes what we need to do to bring down the price of food products — to deal with the problem of price gouging, for example.”
He continued: “What we need to do is extend child tax credit to help young families look after their children in their most formative years. What we need to do to lower housing costs – my proposal includes a $25,000 tax break for first-time home buyers.
When asked why he didn’t do those things as vice president, Harris defended Biden’s record but said “there’s more to do.” He also said he did not regret comments he made in late June after discussions about whether Biden could serve another four-year term. (Biden bowed to mounting pressure in his party and withdrew (On July 21, less than a month from the presidential race.)
Trump criticized Harris’ answers
Trump responded on the social media platform before the interview after watching a clip of Harris defending his new positions.
“I just saw Comrade Kamala Harris’ response to a very poorly worded question…her response was inappropriately flattered and stated that her ‘values have not changed’. I agree with this, his values have not changed – Borders will remain open, not closed, Free Health Care for Illegal Aliens, Sanctuary Cities, Bail Bonds, Gun Confiscation, Zero Fracking, Gasoline Ban- Electric Cars, Private Health Care will be repealed, 70-80% tax rate will be applied and he will defend the Police.” he wrote. “America will become a wasteland!”
Waltz: ‘I wear my emotions on my sleeves’
Walz has defended his prior service in the National Guard, including suggesting that he served in combat situations while discussing gun policy. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, himself a military veteran, accused him of “stolen valor.”
waltz – who said Through a spokesman he “misspoke” when talking about working with weapons “during war” – he elaborated on his remarks, attributing these and other distortions to his habit of speaking “with passion”.
“First of all, I’m incredibly proud. I have worn the uniform of this country for 24 years,” Walz said in an interview. “I wear my emotions on my sleeves and I speak especially passionately about our children being shot in schools and around guns. That’s why I think people know me. They know who I am. They know where my heart is.”
“If it’s not that, it’s an attack on my children for showing me love, or an attack on my dog,” she said. “One thing I will never do is I will never demean another member’s service in any way.”