Is Harris moving to center? VP vows to appoint Republican to cabinet

Kamala Harris defended moving away from some of her more liberal positions in her first major TV interview of her campaign on Thursday, but insisted her ‘values have not changed’. The Vice President was pressed on her stance on Israel, and her reversed positions on a fracking ban and decriminalizing illegal border crossings, but maintained she was aiming to ‘build consensus’ in policy – pledging even to appoint a Republican to her cabinet if she wins.

Harris stressed that she does not want to ban fracking, and said there ‘should be consequence’ for people who cross the border without permission – ostensibly moving to more central positions than those taken during her 2020 bid for presidency. ‘I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,’ Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash as she looked to give voters a better sense of her stances on key issues. ‘I believe it is important to build consensus. It is important to find a common place of understanding where we can actually solve the problem.’

While the interview was slammed as ‘Boring’ by Donald Trump, Harris leads Trump 45 per cent to 41 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published Thursday, indicating ‘new enthusiasm’ among voters in the run-up to the November 5 election. Asked about her reversal on banning fracking, Harris confirmed she does not want to ban fracking – an energy extraction process key to the economy of swing-state Pennsylvania. And on border controls, she insisted she would enforce U.S. law at the border, adding that there ‘should be consequence’ for people who cross without permission.

Harris also defended the current administration’s record on the southern border and immigration, noting that she was tasked with trying to address the ‘root causes’ in other countries that were driving the border crossings. ‘We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences,’ she said.

The interview came as voters are still trying to learn more about the Democratic ticket in an unusually compressed time frame. President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid just five weeks ago. Harris hadn’t done an in-depth interview since she became her party’s standard-bearer five weeks ago, though she did sit for several while she was still Biden’s running mate. In Thursday’s sit-down, she focused largely on policy, as Harris sought to show that she had adopted more moderate positions on issues that Republicans argue are extreme, while her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, defended past misstatements about his biography.

Asked about Israel’s war in Gaza, a contentious issue for Americans divided in support for Israel and the people of Palestine, Harris said, ‘I am unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself.’ She also reiterated what she’s said for months, that civilian deaths are too high amid the Israeli offensive, taking a ‘moderate’ position on a challenging issue as she looks to shore up support. Trump, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a staunch defender of Israel, condemning pro-Palestinian protesters and doubting the viability of a lasting two-state solution in the region.

Trump and Harris are set to debate on Sept. 10. In a post Thursday evening, it appeared Trump was paying close attention to the interview. After the debate was mentioned, he posted, ‘I look so forward to Debating Comrade Kamala Harris and exposing her for the fraud she is.’ Trump went on to say that his Democratic opponent ‘has changed every one of her long held positions, on everything. America will never allow an Election WEAPONIZING MARXIST TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.’ The debate will be the first-ever meeting for Harris and Trump. The opponents had only been in the same space when Harris, as a senator, attended Trump’s joint addresses to Congress.

During her interview on Thursday, ahead of the debate, Harris brushed off Trump’s recent questioning of her racial identity after he suggested falsely that she changed how she presents herself for political reasons and ‘happened to turn Black.’ Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, said Trump’s suggestion was the ‘same old, tired playbook.’ ‘Next question, please,’ she said. Harris also spoke on her time as Vice President under Joe Biden. 

She said serving with Biden was ‘one of the greatest honors of my career,’ and she recounted the moment he called to tell her he was stepping down and would support her. ‘He told me what he had decided to do and … I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, `Yes,’ and that’s how I learned about it.’ She said she didn’t ask Biden to endorse her because ‘he was very clear that he was going to endorse me.’

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