5 takeaways from Harris' first main interview because the Democratic nominee

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday gave her first sit-down interview since she grew to become the Democratic presidential nominee, concerning her agenda for 2025 and a collection of subjects that she has up to now prevented — and drawing on the spot criticism from Republican rival Donald Trump.

Harris introduced herself as a pragmatist within the long-anticipated interview, given to CNN’s Dana Bash alongside her operating mate, Tim Walz. Harris sought to strike a steadiness between defending the Biden-Harris administration’s legacy and charting her personal path if she is elected president whereas taking questions on how a few of her coverage positions have modified for the reason that final time she ran for president.

“I consider it is very important construct consensus and it is very important discover a frequent place of understanding of the place we will really remedy issues,” Harris stated.

Listed below are 5 takeaways from the interview.

Defending her shifting stances

Harris has modified her place on some main points since 2019, when she ran for president and sought to win over progressive Democratic main voters by co-sponsoring “Medicare for All,” supporting a Inexperienced New Deal, calling for decriminalizing migration and opposing hydraulic fracturing, a technique of harvesting pure fuel or oil generally known as “fracking.”

“An important and most important side of my coverage perspective and selections is my values haven’t modified,” she stated, including that she continues to consider that “the local weather disaster is actual” and that the White Home made strides to handle it with the Inflation Discount Act.

On fracking, Harris stated she promised throughout the 2020 vice presidential debate that she would not search to ban fracking, “nor will I going ahead.” She continued, “I forged the tiebreaking vote that really elevated leases for fracking as vice chairman.”

(Harris said in her 2020 debate in opposition to Mike Pence that “Joe Biden won’t ban fracking.”)

Harris added that there will be “a thriving clear power economic system with out banning fracking.”

On those that cross the border unlawfully, she stated: “I consider there ought to be consequence. We have now legal guidelines that need to be adopted and enforced that deal with and take care of individuals who cross our border illegally.” She additionally criticized Trump for pushing Republicans to kill a bipartisan border safety invoice.

“My worth round what we have to do to safe our border — that worth has not modified. I spent two phrases because the legal professional normal of California prosecuting transnational legal organizations,” she stated.

Dismissing Trump’s rhetoric about her race

Trump has sought to assault Harris’ racial id, falsely claiming she beforehand recognized as Indian American and began figuring out as Black solely lately.

Harris didn’t interact.

“Usual, drained playbook,” she stated. “Subsequent query, please.”

Harris forged Trump as a politician of the previous, calling him “somebody who has actually been pushing an agenda and an surroundings that’s about diminishing the character and the energy of who we’re as Individuals, actually dividing our nation.”

“And I feel individuals are prepared to show the web page on that,” she continued.

It displays Harris’ strategy to the marketing campaign since she took the baton from Biden final month: operating her personal race versus specializing in what Trump has stated each day.

Her ‘Day One’ agenda

Harris stated her “Day One” agenda as president could be to begin “implementing my plan for what I name a possibility economic system,” citing her current financial proposals to decrease prices.

“Costs, specifically for groceries, are nonetheless too excessive. The American individuals comprehend it. I do know it,” she stated. “Which is why my agenda contains what we have to do to deliver down the worth of groceries — for instance, coping with a problem like worth gouging.”

She continued: “What we have to do is to increase the kid tax credit score to assist younger households have the ability to care for their youngsters of their most adolescence. What we have to do to deliver down the price of housing — my proposal contains what could be a tax credit score of $25,000 for first-time homebuyers.”

Requested why she hasn’t already accomplished these issues as vice chairman, Harris defended Biden’s file however stated, “There’s extra to do.” She additionally stated she doesn’t remorse her remarks after the late June debate that Biden might ably serve one other four-year time period. (Biden bowed to stress mounting in his celebration and withdrew from the presidential race on July 21, lower than a month later.)

Trump lashes out at Harris’ solutions

Trump responded on his social media platform forward of the interview after having watched a clip of Harris defending her new stances.

“I simply noticed Comrade Kamala Harris’ reply to a really weakly-phrased query … her reply rambled incoherently, and declared her ‘values haven’t modified.’ On that I agree, her values haven’t modified — The Border goes to stay open, not closed, there will likely be Free Healthcare for Unlawful Aliens, Sanctuary Cities, No Money Bail, Gun Confiscation, Zero Fracking, a Ban on Gasoline-Powered Automobiles, Personal Healthcare will likely be abolished, a 70-80% tax fee will likely be put in place, and she is going to Defund the Police,” he wrote. “America will turn out to be a WASTELAND!”

Walz: ‘I put on my feelings on my sleeves’

Walz defended his earlier characterizations of his service within the Nationwide Guard, together with suggesting whereas discussing gun coverage that he served in fight conditions. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, himself a army veteran, accused him of “stolen valor.”

Walz — who has said via a spokesperson that he “misspoke” when he was speaking about dealing with weapons “in conflict” — elaborated on his remarks, blaming that and different misstatements on a behavior of talking “passionately.”

“Initially, I’m extremely proud. I’ve accomplished 24 years of carrying the uniform of this nation,” Walz stated within the interview. “I put on my feelings on my sleeves, and I communicate particularly passionately about our kids being shot in colleges and round weapons. So I feel individuals know me. They know who I’m. They know the place my coronary heart is.”

“If it’s not this, it’s an assault on my youngsters for displaying love for me, or it’s an assault on my canine,” he stated. “The one factor I’ll by no means do is I’ll by no means demean one other member’s service in any approach.”