MSNBC reporter Stephanie Ruhle responded to Vice President Kamala Harris' interview on Wednesday by saying it's okay if the presidential candidates didn't give “clear” and “direct” answers because they didn't talk about “clear” and “direct” issues.
The network announced Wednesday that Mr. Ruhle would interview Ms. Harris. Mr. Ruhle had previously defended her for not answering questions about her policy churn. Mr. Ruhle touched on Ms. Harris's economic policies and tariffs, but also asked her what her “biggest gut feeling” was at the end and whether she had previously worked at McDonald's (her campaign has not been able to provide evidence of this). When the MSNBC host asked Ms. Harris what she thought about tariffs, she shifted the topic to Mr. Trump's policies, an answer Mr. Ruhle later defended. (RELATED: 'Witness Protection': Media-friendly Tim Walz has disappeared from TV since joining Harris' campaign)
“I thought the exchange on tariffs was interesting, especially when you said, and it's true, people think we live in an era of free trade now, more so than we used to. But there are a lot of tariffs on a lot of things. The president has incredible unilateral power to apply them. I remember George W. Bush did this with aluminum and steel. Obviously Trump did it. As you pointed out, Joe Biden. You basically said, 'Look, where are you?' And I thought her answer was interesting, 'Basically, well, it depends,'” MSNBC host Chris Hayes said.
Ruhle called the interview “normal” and explained that while Harris' answers weren't clear, that was OK because she explained that the issues were complex.
“I think that's the key piece. It's like a nuance. To be honest with you, President Biden is putting tariffs in place. He's keeping in place many of President Donald Trump's tariffs. And the White House doesn't want to talk about it. They hate when you ask them about it because everybody thinks Trump is a tariff guy. We're not a tariff guy, we're on the other side,” she began.
“What she did exactly there was explain that the situation is complicated, right? We're a country of 330 million people. Our economy is complicated, right? Like is the economy good or bad? It's completely situational. So tariffs can be effective if used in the right place. Some people will look at that and say she didn't give a clear and direct answer, and that's fine, because we're not talking about a clear and direct issue,” Ruhle added.
Ruhle asked Harris what she thought about tariffs, whether they were a good thing or a bad thing, to which Harris responded that the idea of blanket tariffs “is not something that should be tossed around” lightly.
“Well, one aspect is that he doesn't toss the idea of tariffs around lightly. That's part of the problem with Donald Trump, and frankly, I wholeheartedly believe that. He hasn't really thought about some of these issues seriously. He has to get serious, he has to have a plan. He has to think about what the return on investment is, not just talk at political rallies that ends with an exclamation point. What is the economic impact on everyday people?” the vice president began.
“If you look at my plan, you see what the benefits are. $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. Do you know what that means? It creates the ability for working people to build generational wealth. It's the equivalent of a $6,000 child tax credit. It's the equivalent of a $50,000 tax credit for first-time small business starters,” Harris continued.
“That's the real plan,” Ruhle interjected during the interview.
The conversation between Luhle and Harris marked the vice president's first solo national interview since launching his presidential campaign. After avoiding the media for more than a month, the vice president finally appeared on CNN in August for a double interview with running mate Tim Waltz, R-Minn.
The Vice President explained why she continues to change her stance on various policy issues and why campaign Reject To Define she stance Harris also only briefly addressed whether she was aware of Biden's physical and mental decline, which ultimately led to him dropping out of the presidential race.
Since her CNN interview, Harris has not appeared on national television, instead appearing in interviews with lesser known outlets such as local television and radio stations. The vice president gave an interview to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) on September 17, where she answered a question about the importance of joy in the 2024 presidential campaign. In contrast, Trump's interview with NABJ was tense and full of pointed questions.
Instead of pursuing Harris on policy changes, Ruhle asked her to respond to Trump's comments that the vice president has frequently claimed to have never worked at McDonald's. Found There is no evidence that Harris worked at McDonald's, and while her campaign has maintained that she did, it has yet to provide any evidence.
“So, I just want to ask you, yes or no, have you ever worked at McDonald's and had two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun? Yes or no, is that it?” Ruhle asked the vice president.
“I did, but it was no small job. I did the fries. Yes, but I did,” the vice president replied.
As the interview drew to a close, Ruhle asked Harris about the last big “gut decision” she made.
“Probably the biggest instinctual decision I've made recently was choosing a running mate. Well, there were a lot of great, great candidates, and ultimately it came down to a instinctual decision,” the vice president replied. (RELATED: Exclusive: Tim Walz appoints members of political parties 'loyal' to Chinese Communist Party to state committees)
