Without concrete details on their economic measureshis plans for the war between Israel And Palestine or his fiancée immigration reform. The interview which Kamala Harris given this evening to the channel cnnhighly anticipated because it is the first since he assumed the presidential candidacy, has left few details on the projects that he will implement in the White House beyond what was announced in the Democratic Convention.
Criticism of the Democratic nominee’s lack of interviews and press conferences had begun to intensify, as a month has passed since Biden withdrew and the Democratic campaign has refused to hold rallies left and right without introducing the new candidate to reporters.
This is why Harris sat down on Thursday at the cnn with his campaign partner Tim Waltzto respond to several issues addressed these weeks such as changes of mindn compared to his past positions, when he was more progressive in areas such as climate change and the immigration.
“The most important and significant aspect of my political perspectives and decisions is that my values have not changed,” he replied to the journalist. Dana Bash from a cafeteria in the city of SavannahIn Georgiaone of the key states in the elections and which, in the latest polls, shows a technical tie with Donald Trump.
Another headline left by this dull interrogation, which lasted only 20 minutes, was Harris’ desire to “include a Republican” in her mandate. presidential officeif he wins the elections, thanks to his intention to seek “consensus”.
Although CNN claims to have aired the interview in its entirety, the manner in which it was broadcast – delayed by commercial breaks and comments from the interviewer – has drawn widespread criticism from Republicans.
It seems that the Democrats’ strategy is to avoid going into the subject further. election promises Harris’s lead as long as her progress in national polls continues: the Democrat already has an average lead of two points (48% to 46%) over Donald Trump, according to all Real Clear polls.
Middle class
The economy emerged as the first issue Harris and Walz addressed, one of the issues that has hurt Biden’s popularity the most due to high inflation throughout his term.
The candidate reiterated her plans to create an “opportunity economy” and “strengthen the middle class,” as she did in her closing speech at the Democratic convention, and defended the Biden administration’s past work.
“There’s still a lot to do, but it’s good work,” Harris said, managing to pull it off with flying colors since she’s prone to stumbling during interviews.
Among other measures, he insisted on approving tax incentives for first-time home buyers and reducing the cost of accessing health benefits and medicines.
At the same time, she criticized the Trump administration’s economic legacy in defense of herself when the reporter asked her if she had not had the opportunity to implement these measures during her nearly four years as vice president of the country.
“Well, first of all, we had to recover as an economy. And we did that.” “I’m very proud of the work that we’ve done,” Harris said, trying to defend Biden at every turn.
Support for Biden
Harris also recounted the moment Biden informed her he was withdrawing from the presidential race, in a call on Sunday as she prepared to “put together a puzzle” with her family.
“I asked her, ‘Are you sure about this?'” he recalled. Apparently, she didn’t ask for the president’s support to launch her candidacy, since, according to Harris, “she made that clear in the conversation.”
“Biden has the intelligence, the judgment, the commitment and the will to serve the American people. The previous president did not,” he added.
Immigration and the climate crisis
Likewise, the interview touched on the competition Harris faced as vice president that has done so much damage to her reputation in recent years: immigration.
“I will enforce our laws at the border. I recognize the problem,” said the Democrat, who is now being singled out by conservatives because during the 2020 primaries, she made several statements against the criminalization of irregular immigrants.
On this occasion, Harris avoided revisiting those past statements and focused on her fight against criminal organizations operating on the border during her years as California’s attorney general.
“I am the only candidate who has engaged in criminal transactions of people, weapons and drugs,” she recalled, while pledging to revive the immigration law that the Biden administration managed to reach a consensus between Republicans and Democrats and which ultimately did not reach Congress. . due to a blockade imposed by Trump.
“Trump knew about this law that would contribute to security and thought that it would bring him no political advantage, so he asked his colleagues not to vote for it,” he warned.
Harris also defended his shift in position on “fracking,” a practice that is very common in swing states like Pennsylvania. While he advocated banning it years ago, he now says he sees it as “compatible” with addressing the climate crisis, “a real problem.”
Gaza and Israel
Harris did not specify whether, as president, she would maintain Biden’s strategy regarding the war in Israel and Palestine, but on an issue so controversial for the political dynamics of the United States, she went so far as to declare: “Does Israel have the right to defend itself, and how does it do it?
“Too many innocent Palestinians have died. “We must reach an agreement, this horrible war must end,” he said after reiterating that he would always support “Israel’s right to defend itself and that it has the competence to do so.”
“Next question”
Regarding Trump’s attacks, Harris once again put into practice her campaign’s strategy of ridiculing and minimizing all of his criticisms.
“Next question,” she replied with a laugh when asked about the Republican’s comments about her identity.
The one who spent the most time defending himself against conservative attacks was Tim Walz. The presidential candidate has been under the spotlight of conservative media for days for two imprecise statements.
On one occasion, he said he had used weapons of war during his time in the National Guard, although he had never been assigned to a war zone, and on another occasion, he had made a mistake in the technique he used with his wife during infertility treatment.
“I speak innocently and sometimes I get carried away by passions. (…) I’m also not going to apologize for speaking passionately about reproductive rights or gun control,” he managed to dodge with a much more relaxed attitude than Harris.
Although the main headline that this first interview leaves is the lack of specifics and promises but also of errors. “Boring!” Trump tweeted after the broadcast.
The debate between Harris and Trump will take place on September 10, hosted by ABC News, and promises to mark a turning point in this unusual race for the White House.
