Takeaways From Kamala Harris’s First Interview As Democrat Nominee On CNN

By Brooke Mallory, OAN Staff
Friday, August 30, 2024 4:38 PM

On Thursday, 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris appeared alongside her running mate for her first major interview as a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate.

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CNNDana Bash, a reporter for the National Election Commission, spoke with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, after they were stopped at a campaign stop in Georgia. The interview was recorded earlier in the day and aired by the cable network on Thursday night.

The full version of the interview is CNNit ended in just under 27 minutes. However, CNN In contact with other media outlets, he told reporters that they had to cut and edit significant portions of the discussion, but this information has not been confirmed.

Harris disputes claims of 'policy shift'

Many critics have pointed to Harris' glaring weaknesses: her tendency to backtrack and change positions on many topics, which has led to widespread doubts about her sincerity and veracity.

In an interview on Thursday, she tried to hit back at Bash, insisting that “my values ​​haven't changed.”

She emphasized her “core belief” that climate change is a real and present threat and, to highlight her tough-on-crime stance, noted that she prosecuted gang members charged with human trafficking when she served as California's attorney general from 2010 to 2017.

But when Bash pressed her for details, Harris delivered some of the least persuasive statements of the interview.

When Bash asked if she still wanted to ban the fans, as she has said she would in the past, Harris cut him off, saying, “No, I made it clear in the 2020 debates that I would not ban fracking.”

Not surprisingly, Bash read out Harris' 2019 remarks, in which she declared there was “no question” that fracking would be outlawed.

“In 2020 I made my position clear,” Harris responded. “Now it's 2024 and that position has not changed.”

But this excuse only highlights a fundamental contradiction, one that conservative social media users pointed out in their responses to the sit-down debate.

Similarly, when asked if she still believed illegal border crossings should be decriminalized, as she stated before the 2020 primary, Harris backtracked, vaguely replying, “I think there should be some consequences.”

While Harris steered clear of the defensive tone she's known for in past interviews, her answers are unlikely to persuade many skeptics.

Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race is discussed

For the most part, Harris oddly doubled down on her support for President Joe Biden.
She argued that his presidency would be recorded in history as “transformative” and that his service to the American people had been “utterly selfless.”

Harris praised Biden's “intelligence,” “judgment” and “temper,” before briefly criticizing Trump, saying the “former president has none of that.”

When Bash asked Harris if Biden had asked for her endorsement during the call announcing his withdrawal, Harris said it was clear the president would support her.

“To be honest with you, my first thought wasn't even my own. My first thought was him,” she said.

However, when asked if she thought “Bidenomics” had been truly successful, she dodged the question and did not answer directly.

Instead, she highlighted her administration's caps on prescription drug prices for seniors and argued that she and Biden have boosted jobs, particularly in manufacturing.

“This is good work,” Harris said. “There's still work to be done, but this is good work.”

Harris aims to win over independents and undecided voters

About seven battleground states are home to a certain number of undecided voters who could swing the outcome of the election.

Harris has tried hard to appeal to moderate voters as well as Republican voters who are skeptical of Trump.

When Governor Bash asked Harris in an interview on Thursday whether she would appoint Republicans to her Cabinet if an election were held, Harris asserted that she would, but did not name any specific candidates.

“I think that's really important. I've spent my career encouraging diversity of opinion,” Harris told Bash.

Waltz gives an interview

The 2024 Democratic presidential campaign's choice to interview Waltz alongside Harris drew a lot of criticism, especially from conservatives who argued that Waltz, a female candidate with a limited track record who wants to be taken seriously by voters, should have been interviewed alone.

Internet users and politicians like Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders criticized Harris for hiring “babysitter” Tim Walz, saying it made her look weak, scared and unprofessional, and Waltz's inclusion in the interview gave misogynistic Americans more ammunition to criticize Harris.

“Oh Kamala can't do the interview alone…she needs a man by her side to help her,” said one X (Twitter) user.

Overall, Waltz's performance was neither exceptional nor subpar.

The Minnesota governor was questioned about past claims that he carried firearms “during wartime” despite never having served in combat.

Waltz sidestepped the issue by claiming that “I speak plainly” and “people know where my heart is,” but acknowledged that his wife, an English teacher, told him that his “grammar” was “not always right.” So he basically blamed his blatant lie on his own poor grammar.

Governor Walz gave a similar response when asked what fertility treatments he and his wife, Gwen, have undergone, but he went further in that area by asserting that the vast majority of people “are not wasting their time with IVF or artificial insemination.” The Minnesota governor has previously falsely claimed that his wife had undergone IVF treatments.

Meanwhile, Trump commented on the recording on Truth Social, calling Harris' interview “BORED!!!”

But political analysts argue the Harris campaign is more worried about high-profile gaffes and embarrassing moments than it is about being boring.