Vice President Kamala Harris gave an interview to “60 Minutes” on Monday, where she vagued or denied specifics about her plans for the country.
With less than a month to go until the election, CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker repeatedly asks Harris how she'll pay for her economic proposals, whether President Biden's loose immigration policies were a mistake, and whether Harris' foreign policy compares to Biden's or He asked for details on how he differs from the previous president. Donald Trump. There were several moments when Whitaker had to ask follow-up questions after Harris did not directly answer Whitaker's questions.
Overall, the Democratic vice president was not significantly different from his 2020 running mate, the incumbent U.S. president. CBS reported that former President Donald Trump, his Republican rival, declined an invitation to appear on “60 Minutes,” but Trump's campaign said there was no formal agreement for him to appear on the show.
Here are some standout moments from Harris' interview.
'60 Minutes' asks Harris if Biden administration made a 'mistake' to be complacent on border, vice president repeatedly avoids
Bill Whitaker interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night's episode of “60 Minutes.” (Screenshot/CBS News)
1. Harris' foreign policy will align with Biden's foreign policy
Whitaker asked Harris about the ongoing crises in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, including Israel being attacked by Iranian proxies and Ukraine continuing to fight Russian aggression. In her response, Harris did little to distinguish her foreign policy from that of the current administration.
On Israel, Harris echoed Biden's call to end the war with Hamas, but after the October 7, 2023 massacre in which terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 250 prisoners back to Gaza. Recognized the right of the Jewish people to defend their own country.
“I maintain that Israel has the right to defend itself. We will do so. And how we do it matters. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. This war has to end,” Harris said.
Whitaker noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted the Biden-Harris administration's call for a ceasefire with Hamas, even though the United States has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. . When asked if the United States had no influence over Netanyahu, Harris dodged the question and continued her message, emphasizing the current administration's diplomatic efforts.
“The work we are doing diplomatically with Israeli leaders is an ongoing pursuit centered on articulating our principles,” she said.
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Vice President Kamala Harris was interviewed on CBS' “60 Minutes.'' (CBS News)
“But Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn't seem to be listening,” Whitaker pressed.
Harris declined to answer that question. “We're not going to stop pursuing what it takes to clarify where the United States stands on the need to end this war.”
Regarding Europe, Harris stuck to Biden's position that Ukraine must be involved in any resolution to the war with Russia.
“Ending that war will not be successful unless Ukraine and the UN Charter participate in that success,” she said.
In her final statement, Harris said she had no intention of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war unless a representative from Ukraine was present. However, he was less specific about whether Ukraine should join NATO.
“These are all issues that we will address if we get to that point. Right now, we support Russia's ability to defend Ukraine from unprovoked aggression,” Harris said. “Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sitting in Kiev right now. He's talking about, oh, we can end it from day one. You know what that is? It's surrender. About it.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris visits the U.S.-Mexico border with U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Division Chief John Modlin (right) on September 27, 2024 in Douglas, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images)
2. Harris won't answer about Biden's immigration record
Whitaker said he supports Biden's efforts to reverse President Trump's draconian policies even as a historic flood of illegal immigrants crosses the border, marking an apparent reversal on immigration. refuted Mr. Harris. Now, the vice president said he is “embracing President Biden's recent crackdown on asylum seekers.”
Whitaker asked, “If that's the right answer, why didn't the administration take those steps in 2021?”
Harris responded by pointing to Congressional Republicans who withdrew from a bipartisan agreement on a border security bill negotiated by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). “Donald Trump has received information that this bill is in the works and could be passed. And he wants to solve the problem, not solve the problem. So he I told my colleagues in Congress to repeal the bill. Don't move it forward,” she said. Said.
But Whitaker pointed out that in the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, the number of border arrivals quadrupled, but no action was taken by Biden or Harris. He pushed back against the vice president.
“Was it a mistake to relax immigration policy this much?”
Harris did not respond to questions, but insisted the administration offered a solution “literally from day one.”
“We need to make sure that Congress can act to actually solve the problem,” she said, again echoing Biden.
3. Harris will raise taxes to pay for $3 trillion economic plan
Harris said she would ask Congress to pass a federal ban on food and grocery price gouging to combat inflation. He would expand the child tax credit to $6,000, give first-time homebuyers $25,000 down payment assistance and provide generous support for people starting small businesses.
The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the total cost of her economic proposals would increase the federal deficit by $3 trillion over the next 10 years.
“How do we pay for that?” Whittaker asked.
“So other economists who have weighed my plan against my opponent and determined that my economic plan will strengthen the American economy will find that his economic plan will weaken the American economy,” Harris said. answered. “But my plan, Bill, if you don't mind, is that investing in small businesses means investing in the middle class, which strengthens the American economy. Small businesses are part of the backbone of the American economy. ”. ”
Harris says wealthy Americans and businesses will pay higher taxes to fund economic plans
Whitaker applied the pressure again. “Excuse me, Vice President. The question is, how are we going to pay for it?”
The Democratic candidate's answer was that the wealthy “must pay their fair share of taxes.”
“It's not right that teachers, nurses and firefighters pay higher taxes than billionaires and big corporations. I'm going to make it fair,” Harris argued.
Whitaker followed up again, saying, “We're dealing with the real world here,” and observing that Congress has no intention of raising taxes.
Mr. Harris replied, “I disagree with you.” “There are many leaders in Congress who understand and know that the Trump tax cuts have blown away the federal deficit.”
“None of us, certainly not me, can afford to be short-sighted in how we think about strengthening the American economy,” she continued. “Let me tell you something: I'm a pious public servant. You know, I'm also a capitalist and I know the limits of government.”
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the Dort Financial Center on Friday, October 4, 2024 in Flint, Michigan. (AP Photo/Carolyn Custer)
4. Harris says he is a gun owner and owns a Glock
After a discussion about foreign policy, Whitaker took a “sharp left turn” and asked about Harris' recent admission that she is a gun owner.
When asked what type of gun he owns, Harris said, “I have a Glock. I've had it for quite a while.” “And, I mean, my background is in law enforcement. So, you know.”
Harris served as San Francisco's district attorney from 2004 to 2011 and California's attorney general from 2011 to 2017 before being elected to the U.S. Senate and later selected as Biden's 2020 running mate. .
She told Whittaker that she fired the handgun “at a shooting range.”
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5. Harris addresses voters' fears about her
Although Harris served in government for decades before becoming vice president, she remains a largely unknown figure in national politics. She did not run in the 2024 Democratic primary and only became a candidate two and a half months ago, amid mounting pressure from Democrats who fear Biden is too old to win. had just decided to withdraw.
“A quarter of registered voters still say they don't know you,” Whitaker told Harris. They don't know what turns you on. Why do you think that is? What is the disconnection? ”
“It's an election, Bill,” Harris replied. “And I take seriously that we have to get your vote. This is a United States presidential election. I take it for granted that just declaring yourself a candidate automatically gives you support.” You shouldn't think so.
“I have to earn it. And that's what I'm going to do.”
