Kamala Harris addresses policy shifts in CNN interview, her first as Democratic nominee

Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday insisted her “values have not changed” when explaining several shifts in her policy positions and said she would be open to appointing a Republican to her Cabinet in her first interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president.

Harris and Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz sat down with CNN’s Dana Bash in Georgia on Thursday for their first joint interview, as they blitz battleground states in an effort to win over undecideds and increase Democratic voter turnout. The duo were on a two-day bus tour in Georgia, a state they hope to keep in the Democratic column in November.

Harris has faced increasing pressure to answer unfiltered questions from the media since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Biden dropped out in July. 

Harris explains policy positions

Bash asked Harris what her policy positions are now versus what they were when she was running for president in the 2020 campaign, specifically on matters like immigration and energy, and how voters can feel confident in her positions moving forward. Harris once vocally supported banning fracking and endorsed a set of energy policies known as the Green New Deal, but has been more muted on the matter lately. She has also backed off her support for a single-payer health care system and has emphasized the importance of border security, vowing to sign a bipartisan border bill in her speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Harris told CNN’s Bash that her “values have not changed.” 

“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is, my values have not changed,” Harris responded. “You mentioned the Green New Deal. I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time. We did that with the Inflation Reduction Act. We have set goals for the United States of America, and by extension, the globe, around when we should meet certain standards for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as an example. That value has not changed.”

Harris continued: “My value around what we need to secure our border, that value has not changed. I spent two terms as the attorney general of California prosecuting transnational criminal organizations, violations of American laws regarding the passage, illegal passage, of guns, drugs and human beings across the border. My values have not changed.”

Harris at one point tried to suggest that she hasn’t supported banning fracking, claiming that in 2020 she didn’t support banning fracking, and, “as president, I will not ban fracking.”

But Bash pointed out that in a September 2019 town hall, Harris said, “no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.” 

Harris appeared to be caught off guard momentarily, but said that in 2020, she made it clear where she stood. Harris dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination in December 2019. Bash asked her what made her change her mind. 

Harris insisted that her “values have not changed.” 

Harris shares her day-one priorities as president

Pressed twice what she would do on day one as president, Harris offered her vision for strengthening the middle class, but offered no specific executive order she would sign, or directive she would give to make progress on that goal. 

Harris also said she would be open to appointing a Republican member of her Cabinet.

“I’ve got 68 days to go with this election, so I’m not putting the cart before the horse,” Harris said. “But I would, I think. I think it’s really important. I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences. And I think it would be to the benefit of the American public to have a member of my Cabinet who was a Republican.”

Bash asked Harris, who defended President Biden’s capacity to lead the nation, if she had any regrets about the way she handled the situation as doubts about the president’s capabilities grew after his June debate performance. 

“No, not at all,” she responded. “Not at all.”

On the international front, Harris offered no changes to U.S. policy toward Israel. 

“Let me be very clear,” Harris said. “I am unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself. And that’s not going to change. But let’s take a step back. October 7. Twelve hundred people were massacred. Many young people who were simply attending a music festival. Women were horribly raped. As I said then, I say today — Israel had a right, has a right to defend itself, we would. And how it does so matters. Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. And we have got to get a deal done.” 

Walz answers questions about military service

Walz faced questions as well. In a 2018 video, Walz mentioned “weapons of war that I carried in war,” although he didn’t face combat during his time in the National Guard. Earlier this month, a Harris-Walz campaign official told news outlets that Walz “misspoke” at the time. Bash twice asked Walz if he misspoke. 

“I said we were talking in this case, this was after a school shooting, the ideas of carrying these weapons of war,” Walz told CNN. “And my wife, the English teacher, tells me my grammar is not always correct. But again, if it’s not this, it’s an attack on my children for showing love for me, or it’s an attack on my dog. I’m not gonna do that. And the one thing I’ll never do is I’ll never demean another member’s service in any way. I never have, and I never will.” 

For weeks after Harris became the presumptive nominee for president, she faced questions about when she would sit down for a news conference or hold a press conference. News organizations have long been requesting interviews, but she has stuck to the campaign trail, rarely taking questions from reporters. 

Harris details Biden’s call about withdrawing from race

Harris described the moment when she received the call from Mr. Biden saying he was stepping aside from the race. It was a Sunday, her family was visiting, and they’d just sat down to do a puzzle. It was a moment that changed everything. 

“And the phone rang and it was Joe Biden,” she said. “And he told me what he had decided to do.” 

Harris said she asked the president if he was sure, and he said he was. “And that’s how I learned about it,” Harris said. 

Aaron Navarro

contributed to this report.