Vice President Kamala Harris She avoided or refused to provide specifics about her plans for the country when she sat down for an interview on “60 Minutes” on Monday.
Less than a month before the election, CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker repeatedly pressed Harris for details on how to pay for her economic proposals, whether President Biden’s loose immigration policies were a mistake and how Harris The foreign policy of may differ from that of Biden or former President Donald Trump. There were several moments when Whittaker had to ask follow-up questions after Harris did not directly answer his inquiries.
Overall, the Democratic vice president didn’t differentiate himself much from his 2020 running mate, the incumbent President of the United States. CBS said his Republican opponent, former President Trump, backed out of an invitation to appear on “60 Minutes”, although the Trump campaign said there was never any formal agreement for Trump to appear on the program.
Here are some of the standout moments from the Harris interview.
Bill Whitaker interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris in an episode of “60 Minutes” that aired Monday night. (Screenshot/CBS News)
1. Harris’s foreign policy will track with Biden’s
Whittaker asked Harris about the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and Eastern Europe Israel is under attack Continuing to fight against Iranian proxies and Russian aggression from Ukraine. In her answers, Harris did little to differentiate her foreign policy from that of the current administration.
On Israel, Harris reiterated Biden’s call to end the war with Hamas, though she acknowledged the Jewish state’s right to defend itself after the massacre of October 7, 2023, when terrorists killed 1,200 people. Another 250 prisoners were taken back to Gaza.
Harris said, “I say Israel has the right to defend itself. We will. And how it does it is what matters. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. This war has to end.”
Whitaker pointed out that although the United States has given Israel billions of dollars in military aid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted the Biden-Harris administration’s calls for a ceasefire with Hamas. When asked if the US had no influence on Netanyahu, Harris dodged the question and stayed on message, emphasizing the current administration’s diplomatic efforts.
“The work we do diplomatically with the Israeli leadership is an ongoing effort to clarify our principles,” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for a “60 Minutes” interview on CBS. (CBS News)
Whittaker pressed, “But it seems Prime Minister Netanyahu isn’t listening.”
Harris declined to answer that point. “We will never stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to make clear where we stand on the need to end this war.”
On Europe, Harris stuck to Biden’s position that Ukraine should be included in any resolution to the war with Russia.
“There will be no success in ending that war without Ukraine and the UN Charter’s participation in that success,” he said.
In a definitive statement, Harris said she would not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an end to the war unless Ukrainian representatives were present. However, she was less clear on whether Ukraine should join NATO.
Harris said, “Those are all issues we will deal with when it comes to that point. Right now, we are supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked aggression.” “Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sitting in Kiev right now. He talks about, oh, he can end it on day one. You know what it is? It’s about surrender. ”
Trump campaign denies his consent to ’60 Minutes’ interview after CBS News claims he backed down
Vice President Kamala Harris visits the US-Mexico border with US Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin in Douglas, Arizona, on September 27, 2024. (Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images)
2. Harris won’t answer to Biden’s record on immigration
Whittaker confronts Harris on his frankness counterattack on immigrationNoting that he supported Biden’s efforts to reverse Trump’s hardline policies, even amid a historic flood of illegal immigrants crossing the border. Now, the vice president “has embraced President Biden’s recent crackdown on asylum seekers,” he said.
Whittaker asked, “If this is the right answer now, why hasn’t your administration taken these steps in 2021?”
Harris responded by pointing to congressional Republicans who backed away from a bipartisan compromise on the border security bill pushed by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. He said, “Donald Trump got the news that this bill was in the works and could be passed. And he wanted to run away from the problem rather than fix a problem. So he told his friends in Congress that Kill the bill. Don’t let it go forward.” Said.
However, Whitaker put pressure on the vice president, noting that in the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, arrivals at the border quadrupled and there was no action from Biden or Harris.
“Was it a mistake to loosen immigration policies as much as you did?”
Harris did not answer the question but said her administration has offered solutions “virtually from day one.”
“We need Congress to be able to act to actually fix the problem,” he said, again echoing Biden.
3. Harris will raise taxes to pay for her $3 trillion economic plan
To fight inflation, Harris said she intends to ask Congress to impose a federal ban on rising prices of food and groceries. She would expand the child tax credit to $6,000, provide $25,000 in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers and provide generous assistance to people starting a small business.
The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has estimated that the total cost of its economic proposals would add $3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade.
“How will you pay for it?” Whittaker asked.
Harris responded, “Okay, so the other economists who have reviewed my plan versus my opponent’s and determined that my economic plan will strengthen America’s economy, his plan will weaken it.” “But my plan, Bill, if you don’t mind, my plan is to say that when you invest in small businesses, you invest in the middle class, and you strengthen America’s economy. “Small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy.”
Whittaker applied pressure again. “Excuse me, Madam Vice President. The question was how would you pay for it?”
The Democratic nominee’s response was that the rich “must pay their fair share in taxes.”
Harris insisted, “It’s not right that teachers and nurses and firefighters are paying a higher tax rate than the billionaires and the biggest corporations, and I plan to make it fair.”
Whitaker then said, “We’re dealing with the real world here” and noted that Congress has shown no inclination to raise taxes.
Harris responded, “I disagree with you.” “There are a lot of leaders in Congress who understand and know that the Trump tax cuts have increased our federal deficit.”
She added, “None of us, and certainly not one of us, can afford to be short-sighted in how we think about strengthening America’s economy.” “Let me tell you something. I am a dedicated public servant. You know I am also a capitalist, and I know the limits of government.”
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Caroline Caster)
4. Harris says she is a gun owner and has a Glock
After a discussion on foreign policy, Whittaker took a “hard left stance” and asked Harris about her recent admission that she is a gun owner.
Asked what type of gun he owned, Harris said, “I have a Glock, and I’ve had it for a long time.” “And, I mean, look, my background is in law enforcement, and so there you go.”
Harris served as the District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004–2011 and was the Attorney General of California from 2011–2017 before being elected to the U.S. Senate and later selected as Biden’s 2020 running mate.
He told Whitaker that he had fired his handgun “at the shooting range.”
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5. Harris addresses voters’ uncertainty about herself
Although Harris worked in government for decades before becoming vice president, she remains largely an unknown figure in national politics. She did not run for president in the 2024 Democratic primaries and only became a candidate two and a half months before Biden decided to drop out of the race amid growing pressure from Democrats over concerns that her age would be too high to win. Is.
“A quarter of registered voters still say they don’t know you,” Whittaker told Harris. They don’t know what bothers you. And why do you think so? What is the disconnect?”
“It’s an election, Bill,” Harris replied. “And I take it seriously that I have to get everyone’s vote. This is an election for President of the United States. No one should assume that they can declare themselves a candidate and automatically Can get support.
“You have to earn it. And that’s what I intend to do.”
