WASHINGTON – In a wide-ranging roundtable on “60 Minutes” that aired Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris defended her policy shifts on issues such as fracking and spoke out against former Donald Trump, who withdrew an interview with the CBS program. criticized the president.
As Harris said in a previous interview with CNN, her change in position on the anti-fracking law and Medicare for All (both of which she says she no longer supports) came about during her travels as deputy minister, when she traveled to the U.S. He said it happened after hearing people’s opinions. president.
“What the American people want is to have leaders who can build consensus, find compromises, understand that nothing is wrong as long as you don’t compromise your values, and find common-sense solutions.” Harris said. said “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker. “And that was my approach.”
According to CBS, President Trump initially agreed to be interviewed. He changed his mind and only Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, appeared on the show, breaking more than half a century of tradition.
“Unfortunately, last week, Mr. Trump canceled his appearance,” CBS correspondent Scott Pelley said in an introduction to the show, adding that the campaign had given a “transitional” explanation. Perry noted that one of the issues raised by the Trump campaign was for CBS to fact-check the interview.
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“We fact-check every story,” Perry said.
Regarding Trump’s absence from the show, Harris repeatedly made offensive remarks during the debate and urged viewers to keep an eye on Trump’s events.
“If he’s not going to engage his viewers in meaningful, thoughtful conversations and Q&A, then they should watch his rallies,” she said. “You’re going to hear a conversation about himself and his personal grievances.”
Harris says of Trump: “America wants a leader who won’t try to divide us.”
During an interview on “60 Minutes,” Whitaker asked Harris about her past comments about Trump being divisive. Among the examples he brought up was President Trump’s baseless claim that Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, were kidnapping and eating pets.
He noted that Trump has the support of millions of Americans. “How do you explain that?” he asked.
Harris responded: “I’m glad that you pointed out these comments that he made and that the response from the most reasonable people was that they were wrong, that they were wrong.”
Asked again about the fact that so many people support Trump, whom she has previously called a racist, Harris refused to criticize Americans who planned to vote for him.
“I believe the American people want leaders who will not seek to divide or degrade us,” she asserted. “I think the American people realize that the true measure of a leader’s strength is not based on who he defeats, but who he lifts up.”
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Harris says rising food prices will be a priority
The economy remains a top priority for voters, and Harris said her priority would be to curb soaring food prices if she wins the election.
After Whitaker asked if Americans were wrong to criticize her and President Joe Biden, Harris replied, “I know that, and we need to address that. That’s why part of my plan is Department,” he said.
Harris is proposing tax cuts for new parents, first-time homebuyers and entrepreneurs. He said the plan would be paid for by raising corporate tax rates, which would require Congress to vote on, and increasing taxes on capital gains for wealthy Americans.
Biden has proposed paying for his plan through tax increases, but has been unable to get key parts of his agenda through Congress. Ms. Harris suggested she would be in luck.
She told Whittaker that if she “quietly talks” to lawmakers about the issue, “they’ll understand exactly what I’m saying.”
“There are many leaders in Congress who understand and know that the Trump tax cuts wiped out the federal deficit,” he added, referring to the 2017 bill he signed.
Analysts say Harris’ economic plan could also increase the federal deficit, but projections show Trump’s economic plan will be more expensive.
Harris urges Congress to pass immigration reform
Harris renewed her call for Congress to pass a bipartisan immigration reform bill, which failed in the Senate after President Trump urged lawmakers not to vote for it.
Illegal border crossings have plummeted since Biden introduced tougher asylum measures. Harris said he would further tighten enforcement.
“This is a long-standing problem, and a solution is just around the corner. And literally from day one, we’ve been providing a solution,” Harris told “60 Minutes.”
Harris reaffirms support for Ukraine, says diplomacy with Israel is ‘continuous pursuit’
Harris asserted that Israel is a key ally of the United States, dodging a question about whether the Biden administration is “shaking” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The work we are doing diplomatically with the Israeli leadership is an ongoing pursuit centered on articulating our principles,” Harris said. “With all due respect, I think the better question is whether there is a significant alliance between the American people and the Israeli people. The answer to that question is yes.”
In response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants, he said Israel had the right to defend itself. “And how we do it matters. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. This war must end.”
The Democratic candidate said he has no intention of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine without Ukraine.
“We can’t have a bilateral relationship without Ukraine. Ukraine must have a say in Ukraine’s future,” she said.
Over the summer, member states adopted language that said Ukraine’s path to NATO membership was “irreversible,” but Harris declined to say whether she supported Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
“These are all issues that we will address if we get to that point,” Harris said. “We now support Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russia’s unprovoked aggression.”
Harris said that if Trump were president, he would strike a deal that would put Putin in control of Ukraine. “You know what it is? It’s about surrender,” she said.