Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave her first major interview since becoming the party's chair on Thursday, but it didn't make any major headlines or make any major gaffes.
Harris, along with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), were questioned by CNN's “Inside Politics” anchor Dana Bash about various policy positions that she has been criticized for reversing, including fracking and border decriminalization.
Harris asserted that her “values” have not changed on either issue.
She spoke about the need to address climate change without going into detail about the political calculations surrounding fracking, which she said could cost candidates votes in Pennsylvania, a battleground state where fracking is a key industry.
On the issue of the border, after Bash pointed out that Harris had raised her hand when asked during the 2020 Democratic primary whether the border should be decriminalized, Harris asserted that as president she would enforce the law on the southern US border.
Republicans have harshly criticized Harris during the election campaign, particularly on the border issue, saying she was tasked by President Biden to investigate the root causes of migration.
Harris also addressed former President Trump's comments about her race.
Bash noted that Harris has never interacted with or met Trump in person, but shared the idea that Trump had suggested Harris had “become black” in the interview, which he acknowledged calls into question a “core part” of Harris' identity.
“The usual boring tactic. Next question please,” Harris replied.
“That's it?” Bash asked.
“Exactly,” Harris replied.
CNN aired the interview in its entirety, a point Bash made at the start of his show after Trump and his allies criticized the network for pre-recording the interview rather than airing it live in order to cover up Harris' gaffe.
Neither Harris nor Waltz made any major gaffes, and Waltz was forced to defend his earlier gaffes.
The Minnesota governor said he was speaking generally about infertility issues after suggesting his family had undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) before revealing his wife had undergone IUI. He also blamed his grammar when questioned about comments about possessing weapons of war, before later clarifying.
“I said, in this case, I was talking about school shootings, the idea of carrying weapons of war, and my wife says my grammar isn't always good,” Waltz said when Bash asked if those comments were a mistake.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) criticized Waltz's military record, saying he was pretending to be someone he wasn't because he never saw combat. Waltz served in the Army National Guard and left to run for Congress before his unit was deployed. People who served with him said they had no idea the unit would be separated when they left.
The vice president was also asked to reflect on her fast-track candidacy, now more than a month old, and said she was “humbled” by the viral photo of one of her nieces watching her accept the Democratic presidential nomination.
Harris recalled the moment Biden told her he would no longer seek reelection.
“I asked him, 'Are you sure?' and he said, 'Yes,' and so I knew,” Harris said, adding that Biden had made it “very clear” he intended to support her as his successor.
Brett Samuels and Julia Mueller contributed to this report.
