Kamala Harris gave her first interview as the Democratic presidential candidate on Thursday with CNN's Dana Bash and vice presidential candidate Tim Waltz. her changes on certain policy issues over the years and her support for Joe Biden.
In an interview recorded in Savannah, Georgia, early Thursday morning, the vice president said her top priority when she takes office will be to “support and strengthen the middle class” through policies such as increasing the child tax credit, curbing price hikes on everyday items and expanding access to affordable housing — all policies she has announced since launching her presidential campaign.
Harris also recounted the moment the president informed her of his decision not to run for reelection, speaking publicly for the first time. She said she was making breakfast with her family, including her nieces, and had just sat down to do a puzzle when the phone rang.
“I asked him, 'Are you sure?' and he said, 'Yes,' and so I knew.” As for whether she asked him for his endorsement or whether he offered it, she said, “He made it very clear that he was going to endorse me.”
“To be honest with you, my first thoughts were not of myself, they were of him,” she said, adding that history will remember Biden's presidency as a time of change.
Harris defended Biden, saying she had no regrets about supporting him for reelection before deciding to drop out of the race despite concerns about his age and ability. She also said serving as Biden's vice president had been “one of the greatest honors” of her career and that Biden possesses “the intellect, responsibility, judgment and temperament that the American people want in a president,” adding that former President Donald Trump “has none of those things.”
She also praised the Biden administration's efforts to restore the economy after the pandemic, pointing to capping insulin prices, current inflation rates below 3% and the growth of U.S. manufacturing jobs. “I think that's a good initiative,” she said. “There's still work to be done, but it's a good initiative.”
Regarding her change of stance on issues such as fracking and immigration, Harris said, “My values haven't changed.” Regarding fracking, she said she made it clear during the 2020 debates that she no longer supports a ban and that she would not ban fracking if she became president. She also said that while she takes the climate crisis seriously, she believes “we can promote a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.”
On immigration, Bash noted that Harris had raised her hand to indicate she believed in decriminalizing the border and asked if she still believed that, pointing out that she believes in upholding and enforcing the law when it comes to immigration and that she is the only candidate in this race who has prosecuted international criminal organizations.
She also said that if she wins, she would appoint Republicans to her Cabinet, but did not have any specific Republicans or positions in mind.
“Throughout my career, I've encouraged diversity of opinion,” she said, “I think it's important that people with different views and experiences are at the table when the most important decisions are being made, and I think it would be beneficial for the American people to have Republicans in my Cabinet.”
She quickly dodged a question about Trump's recent comments about “happening to be black,” saying, “The same old platitudes. Next question please.”
The interview fits just in time for Harris to schedule an in-person interview, which she had promised would happen by the end of August, just under two weeks before her first debate with Trump is scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC.
Harris and Walz were interviewed during a bus tour around Savannah, Georgia, as part of a whirlwind tour of the U.S. since accepting the Democratic nomination.
Harris has faced criticism from across the political spectrum for not giving any public interviews to the media since she began her presidential bid, and after the CNN interview was announced, Republicans also criticized her and Waltz for the fact that it was pre-recorded and not broadcast live.
Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance Post to Twitter/X“BREAKING: We have the full CNN interview with Kamala Harris,” the caption read, along with footage from the 2007 Miss Teen America pageant in which a contestant says Americans don't know geography, rambling on about “South Africa, Iraq, everywhere like this.”
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Walz answered some questions in the joint interview, but Harris mainly led the campaign's responses.
Walz has faced heavy criticism for making false and exaggerated statements about his time in the National Guard and about certain fertility treatments his wife underwent. He did not elaborate on why he made the statements, saying he was speaking candidly and passionately. In one statement, he claimed he had carried a weapon in a war, which he did not (he was never deployed to a battlefield). He said the comment was made after a school shooting and was grammatically incorrect. “I think people know me. They know who I am, they know where my heart is,” he said.
“Anything short of this is an attack on my children who have shown affection for me, or an attack on my dog,” he said, referring to recent attacks from Republicans. “What I will never do is disrespect other service members in any way. I never have and I never will.”
Bash brought up two key moments from the Democratic National Convention: Walz's teenage son Gus, crying as his father took the stage and saying, “That's my dad,” and a photo of one of Harris' nieces looking on as she gave her acceptance speech.
Waltz said her son's reaction was a “very emotional moment” and that she is grateful she was able to experience it.
Harris hasn't spoken much about the possibility that her victory would shatter a glass ceiling, but she said she was “deeply moved” by the photo and “very humbled” by it. “I am running because I believe I am the best person to do this job on behalf of all Americans, regardless of race or gender,” she said.
It's unclear whether Harris will give more media interviews as she continues her campaign. As some CNN commentators pointed out before the interview aired Thursday, doing so more frequently would make each one less likely to be subject to the intense scrutiny and obsession that the CNN events have been.
Trump responded to the Truth Social interview: say Simply put, “It's boring!!!”
