On Wednesday, September 25th, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris sat down for an interview with MSNBC to discuss her economic agenda and a range of other issues. This marked her first solo media interview since launching her presidential campaign.
Since taking over the presidential campaign from Joe Biden in late July, Harris has faced pressure to increase her media appearances. Following a speech focusing on the economy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Harris granted an exclusive interview to MSNBC journalist Stephanie Ruhle.
During the interview, Harris addressed four key points:
Ruhle pointed out that most potential voters still believe Donald Trump is better suited to handle economic issues. However, Harris emphasized that her background and experiences allow her to better understand the struggles of most Americans, mentioning her past work experience at McDonald’s during her school days.
Harris attributed the high unemployment rates during the peak of the pandemic to Trump, blaming the previous administration for causing this economic fallout, even before the pandemic hit.
She also criticized Trump for repeatedly mentioning imposing tariffs during his campaign events. Trump delivered an economic-focused speech in Pennsylvania this week, discussing his plans to expand tariffs if elected.
When Ruhle inquired about Trump’s proposed plan, Harris commented, “Part of it is you can’t just throw out these ideas of blanket tariffs, and that’s part of the problem with Donald Trump.”
She added that there must be a “real plan” in place, not simply mentioning it at political rallies.
As the interview was wrapping up, Ruhle asked Harris when was the last time she made a decision based on intuition. The Democratic presidential candidate replied, “The biggest decision I’ve made recently based on intuition was choosing my running mate.”
“There were many great candidates, but ultimately, it came down to an intuitive decision,” she said, referring to her choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate.
Harris finalized her running mate in August, just a month after announcing her presidential campaign. Prior to her decision, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Kelly were considered more popular vice presidential contenders, but Harris’ “intuitive decision” made Walz the dark horse.
According to The Hill, Harris delved deeply into her economic policies during the interview with Ruhle, providing more in-depth insights than any previous statements made to the media since becoming the Democratic presidential candidate.
For instance, when asked how the federal government would address issues like housing shortage, the Vice President outlined incentive measures such as building more housing for communities and providing transportation services.