Vice President Kamala Harris has described the moment she learned that President Biden had decided to drop out of the Presidential race. In her first interview since becoming the Democratic Presidential candidate, Ms. Harris spoke to Dana Bash and said she was sitting down with her family doing a puzzle when the phone rang. On the other end was Joe Biden. He told her he intended to withdraw, and she asked if he was sure, he replied that he was, and that was the substance of the conversation.
In the highly-anticipated interview, Harris revealed that she has never spoken to Donald Trump and dismissed his claim that she had not historically identified as a black woman, saying, “Same old, tired playbook. Next question, please.” She repeatedly stated that her top priority as President would be the economy and strengthening the middle class. When asked about her position change regarding fracking, Harris said that her commitment to clean energy remains, but she has learned “that we can grow and we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.”
Donald Trump has mentioned several times that Kamala Harris should have implemented her policy plans while she was in the Vice President’s office, and Bash questioned her on this. She responded that the Biden administration first had to get the economy back on track after the pandemic and bring inflation back down. She added that she is proud of their record but concedes there is more to do.
Accompanying the Vice President was her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Walz addressed allegations that he had embellished his military record and implied he had carried a weapon in war. Walz said he simply misspoke, adding that grammar wasn’t always his strongest point.
Notably, Vice President Harris stated that she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet, saying she has always believed in a diversity of opinions and viewpoints. Ms. Harris acknowledged, however, that she did not have any specific Republican in mind and still had several weeks to think it through. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” she said.