On Thursday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was questioned about changes in her policy positions since the 2020 presidential campaign. She stated, “My values have not changed.”
Harris, along with her running mate Walz, participated in an interview with CNN journalist Dana Bash. This marked her first media interview since announcing her presidential candidacy.
The interview took place at a restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, at 1:45 pm on Thursday. Selected excerpts were released that afternoon, with the full interview scheduled to air at 9 pm Eastern time.
This interview provided a new platform for Harris to solidify her campaign direction before the debate with Trump on September 10 and to test her political abilities.
During the interview, Harris was asked about her policy changes over the years, particularly regarding issues such as hydraulic fracturing and decriminalization of non-violent illegal border crossings.
Harris responded, “I believe the most important and meaningful aspect of my policy views and decisions is that my values have not changed.”
She also mentioned that if elected, she would nominate a Republican to her cabinet.
It is customary in American politics for presidential and vice presidential candidates to participate in joint interviews before the elections. Biden and Harris, Trump and Pence, and Obama and Biden have all undergone similar joint interviews at various stages of their campaigns.
Unlike other candidates who have also done individual interviews, Harris has not undergone in-depth interviews since securing the Democratic candidacy five weeks ago.
Harris and Walz are currently on a two-day bus tour in southeastern Georgia, culminating in an evening rally in Savannah.
According to Gallup poll, enthusiasm among Democratic voters for the November ballot has surged in recent months. Around 80% of Democrats report being more enthusiastic about voting than usual, compared to 55% back in March.
This has given the Democratic Party an advantage this year that they didn’t have earlier. Republican voter enthusiasm has increased to a lesser extent, with about two-thirds of Republicans now expressing more enthusiasm for voting than usual.
Harris’s lack of media interaction over the past month has been a major point of criticism from Republicans. The Trump campaign team has kept track of the days she has not engaged in interviews since becoming a candidate.
Trump has mostly favored conservative media in his interviews, but in recent weeks, he has held more public press conferences in an attempt to regain media attention lost to Harris since she officially secured the presidential nomination.
After the CNN interview, Walz headed out of state for other political events, while Harris continued her activities in Georgia. She informed voters that she plans to roll out “tax breaks primarily aimed at start-ups and fledgling small businesses.”
She stated, “One of my top priorities is to invest in and grow our small businesses.”