“I think people are ready to move forward, as generations of Americans have done with hope and optimism,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday night in her first interview as a White House candidate since being formally sworn in by the Democratic Party last week. She was interviewed with her running mate, Tim Waltz, by CNN reporter Dana Bash.
Criticizing the record of Donald Trump, her Republican opponent, who according to her “really put forward a program […] “really dividing our nation,” she said people were “ready to turn the page.” She spoke on a range of hot topics, from immigration to the environment to her cabinet.
Taking a Republican into your cabinet
Kamala Harris has said she is open to the idea of bringing a Republican into her cabinet. However, she has said she does not have a specific name in mind. “There are 68 days until the election, so I’m not putting the cart before the horse,” she told CNN. “But I would. I think it’s really important. I’ve spent my career inviting diversity of thought. I think it’s important to have people at the table when important decisions are being made who have different perspectives, different experiences. And I think it would be in the best interest of the American public to have a member of my cabinet who is a Republican.”
In the past, recalls THE New York Timesseveral American presidents have appointed members of the opposing party to their cabinet. Barack Obama appointed former Republican Representative Ray LaHood of Illinois as Secretary of Transportation and former Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska as Secretary of Defense. George W. Bush chose Norman Mineta, a Democrat, as Secretary of Transportation. Donald Trump and Joe Biden, however, have not continued this tradition.
Helping the middle class
“First and foremost, one of my top priorities is to do everything we can to support and strengthen the middle class,” Harris said when asked about short-term measures she would take if she wins. Without giving further details on her program, she returned to the economic plan she presented in mid-August.
Among the measures already presented: the creation of a tax credit for births, the reduction of the cost of foodstuffs and the establishment of aid to make housing and rental more affordable.
She also defended the Biden administration’s actions, saying: “We had to fix the economy, and we did it.” “There’s still a lot to do, but it’s good work.”
Environment
Asked by Dana Bash about her changes in opinion on several major issues, such as the environment or immigration, Kamala Harris defended herself against any change in values. “The most important aspect of my policies and my decisions is that my values have not changed,” she said.
“I have always believed – and worked on – that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent issue that we should address with timely action,” she said. She said she would not ban “fracking”, a gas extraction process that causes soil pollution.
“What I’ve seen is that we can build a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking,” she said. “As vice president, I didn’t ban fracking. As president, I won’t ban fracking.”
Immigration
On immigration, one of the favorite themes of Republican candidate Donald Trump’s campaign, Kamala Harris recalled the law and hammered home once again that her values had “not changed”. “I believe there should be consequences. We have laws that must be respected and enforced,” she said of illegal entries into the territory. “As president, I will enforce our laws,” she promised. “I spent two terms as attorney general of California prosecuting transnational criminal organizations.”
Kamala Harris was also asked about the hot topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She reiterated her support for Israel’s right “to defend itself” and said she would not suspend US arms shipments to Israel, even though she believes “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”
“BORING” (boring), reacted to the Donald Trump interview on his social network Truth Social. According to the survey compiler of the New York Timesthe duel with the Republican candidate, destabilized since Joe Biden’s withdrawal, remains undecided, with a very short lead for Kamala Harris in certain key states. Like her, Donald Trump is increasing his trips and meetings in the swing statesthe pivotal states that could swing the November 5 presidential election. Kamala Harris is currently traveling in Georgia, one of them, from where the CNN interview was recorded.