Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first solo interview on Friday to an ABC affiliate, the same network that helped her get through this week's lopsided presidential debate, but she stumbled over some easy questions.
She replied Five Questions from Action News 6ABCShe spoke in an interview with ABC, the local ABC News affiliate, days after the moderator of the ABC debate with Donald Trump cooperated with her by providing fact-checks on the former president but not with her herself.
One of the ABC modestors for the debate, Lindsay Davis, is a member of Harris' sorority, and Dana Walden, the Disney executive whose operations include ABC, is one of the vice president's closest friends.
Action News 6 ABC anchor Brian Taff asked Harris, 59, what specifically she would do as president to bring prices down.
“Let me start with this: I grew up middle class. My mother raised me and my sister. She worked very hard,” she began, before going on to talk about how her neighbors were “proud of their lawns.”
“We as Americans have great character. We have ambitions and hopes and dreams. But not everyone has necessarily access to the resources that can help us realize those dreams and ambitions,” Harris continued.
She did not specify how she would bring prices down, but highlighted proposed policies to offer $25,000 grants to new homebuyers and tax cuts for new small businesses.
Harris also said she is “clearly not Joe Biden” because she offers an “opportunity economy” and “a new generation of leadership.”
“For example, think about developing and creating an opportunity economy that invests in areas that really need a lot of work,” she said, searching for words.
The vice president said he had no intention of “taking away anybody's guns” and that he supported the Second Amendment, but would ban “assault weapons” and “universal background checks.”
“They are literally tools of war,” Harris said.
When asked what Trump's appeal is to voters, Harris again spent several sentences getting to the heart of the question.
“I know, based on experience and lived experience, in my heart, in my soul, that the vast majority of Americans have far more in common than what divides us,” she said.
“And also, I think most Americans appreciate that we want a leader who will unite us as Americans, not someone who calls himself a leader who is going to turn us against each other,” she said of Trump, arguing that voters want someone with “common sense.”
“Given all the hatred and division emanating from Donald Trump, I think people are more willing to say, 'Let's put country first.'”
Taff finally asked Harris if there was anything she wanted voters to know about her.
“I don't know. I mean, I'm probably not that different from any of you watching the show right now. I love my family. Well, one of my favorite things that I haven't been able to do lately is have family dinner on Sundays. I love to cook. I have great friends,” Harris said.
“As I said the other day, as a career prosecutor, I have never asked a crime victim if they were Republican or Democrat. I have only asked one thing: 'Are you OK?'” she said, arguing that most Americans would prefer that approach.
Harris has avoided press interviews for much of her term as the Democratic candidate.
She appeared in her first debate on CNN alongside running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, more than a month after entering the presidential race to replace 81-year-old President Biden.
She then appeared on two local radio shows before making her first debate appearance with Trump on ABC on Tuesday.
With the campaign less than two months away from voting, Harris has been criticized for limiting press access to her campaign.
