Harris defends shifting from some liberal positions in first interview of presidential campaign

Zeke Miller and Colleen Long, Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris connected Thursday defended shifting distant from immoderate of her much wide positions successful her first awesome tv question and reply of her statesmanlike campaign, but insisted her “values person not changed” moreover arsenic she is “seeking consensus.”

Sitting pinch her moving mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris was asked specifically astir her reversals connected banning fracking and decriminalizing forbidden separator crossings, positions she took during her past tally for president. She confirmed she does not want to prohibition fracking, an power extraction process cardinal to nan system of swing-state Pennsylvania, and said location “should beryllium consequence” for group who transverse nan separator without permission.

“I deliberation nan astir important and astir important facet of my argumentation position and decisions is my values person not changed,” Harris said.
She went connected to say: “I judge it is important to build consensus. It is important to find a communal spot of knowing wherever we tin really lick nan problem.”

The question and reply pinch CNN’s Dana Bash came arsenic voters are still trying to study much astir nan Democratic summons successful an unusually compressed clip frame. President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid conscionable 5 weeks ago. The question and reply focused mostly connected policy, arsenic Harris sought to show that she had adopted much mean positions connected issues that Republicans reason are extreme, while Walz defended past misstatements astir his biography.

Harris hadn’t done an in-depth question and reply since she became her party’s standard-bearer 5 weeks ago, though she did beryllium for respective while she was still Biden’s moving mate.

She said serving pinch Biden was “one of nan top honors of my career,” and she recounted nan infinitesimal he called to show her he was stepping down and would support her.

“He told maine what he had decided to do and … I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, ‘Yes,’ and that’s really I learned astir it.”
She said she didn’t inquire Biden to endorse her because “he was very clear that he was going to endorse me.”

Harris defended nan administration’s grounds connected nan confederate separator and immigration, noting that she was tasked pinch trying to reside nan “root causes” successful different countries that were driving nan separator crossings.

“We person laws that person to beryllium followed and enforced, that reside and woody pinch group who transverse our separator illegally, and location should beryllium consequences,” Harris said.

Asked astir Israel’s warfare successful Gaza aft Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, Harris said, “I americium unequivocal and unwavering successful my committedness to Israel’s defense and its expertise to take sides itself.” But nan vice president besides reiterated what she’s said for months, that civilian deaths are excessively precocious amid nan Israeli offensive.

She besides brushed disconnected Republican Donald Trump’s questioning of her group personality aft he suggested falsely that she changed really she presents herself for governmental reasons and “happened to move Black.” Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, said Trump’s proposal was nan “same old, tired playbook.”

“Next question, please,” she said.

Trump and Harris are group to statement connected Sept. 10. In a station Thursday evening, it appeared Trump was paying adjacent attraction to nan interview. After nan statement was mentioned, he posted, “I look truthful guardant to Debating Comrade Kamala Harris and exposing her for nan fraud she is.”

Trump went connected to opportunity that his Democratic force “has changed each 1 of her agelong held positions, connected everything. America will ne'er let an Election WEAPONIZING MARXIST TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.”

The statement will beryllium nan first-ever gathering for Harris and Trump. The opponents had only been successful nan aforesaid abstraction erstwhile Harris, arsenic a senator, attended Trump’s associated addresses to Congress.

During nan early parts of nan interview, Walz watched softly and nodded erstwhile Harris made her main points. He was later asked astir misstatements, starting pinch really he has described his 24 years of work successful nan National Guard.

In a 2018 video clip that nan Harris-Walz run erstwhile circulated, Walz said retired against weapon unit and said, “We tin make judge that those weapons of war, that I carried successful war, is nan only spot wherever those weapons are at.”

Critics said nan remark “that I carried successful war” suggested that Walz portrayed himself arsenic personification who spent clip successful a combat zone. He said Thursday nighttime that he misspoke aft a schoolhouse shooting, adding, “My grammar’s not ever correct.”

Asked astir statements that appeared to bespeak that he and his woman conceived their children pinch in-vitro fertilization, erstwhile they successful truth utilized a different fertility treatment, he said he believes astir Americans understood what he meant and pivoted to Republican guidance to abortion rights.

Democrats’ enthusiasm astir their ballot successful November has surged complete nan past fewer months, according to polling from Gallup. About 8 successful 10 Democrats now opportunity they are much enthusiastic than accustomed astir voting, compared pinch 55% successful March.

This gives them an enthusiasm separator they did not person earlier this year. Republicans’ enthusiasm has accrued by overmuch little complete nan aforesaid period, and astir two-thirds of Republicans now opportunity they are much enthusiastic than accustomed astir voting.

At a packed arena for a rally Thursday successful Savannah, Harris formed her nascent run arsenic nan underdog and encouraged nan crowd to activity difficult to elite her successful November.

“We’re present to speak truth and 1 of nan things that we cognize is that this is going to beryllium a tight title to nan end,” she said.

Harris went done a database of Democratic concerns: that Trump will further restrict women’s authorities aft he appointed 3 judges to nan U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn Roe, that he’d repeal nan Affordable Care Act, and that fixed caller immunity powers granted presidents by nan U.S. Supreme Court, “imagine Donald Trump pinch nary guardrails.”

The rally was nan extremity of a two-day autobus circuit successful southeastern Georgia. Harris has different run blitz connected Labor Day pinch Biden successful Detroit and Pittsburgh pinch nan predetermination quickly approaching. The first message ballots get sent to voters successful conscionable 2 weeks.