Five tough interview questions Harris could face
Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are set to sit for their first joint interview since they rode to the top of the Democratic ticket about a month ago.
CNN’s Dana Bash landed the coveted task of interviewing the duo during a stop in Georgia with the interview airing on the network and its platforms on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
Though Harris has stopped to talk to reporters traveling with her on the campaign trail, the interview comes as she faces mounting pressure to make a major media appearance to answer pressing questions on her record as vice president and what her plans are for a potential first-term as commander-in-chief.
Here are five tough questions Harris could face in an interview.
What regrets do you have on how you handled border issues?
Harris had a shaky start to her vice presidency in part because of her work on the U.S.-Mexico border, after President Biden gave her the lead on addressing the root causes of migration.
Republicans have dubbed that role as “border czar” in an effort to tie her to the influx of migrants at the border.
Perhaps one of the most notable moments in Harris’s early tenure was during a press conference in Mexico in which she told Guatemala migrants “do not come,” which sparked ridicule as well as pushback from progressives.
That was followed-up by a combative interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, in which she defended her decision to not visit the border, saying “I haven’t been to Europe… I don’t… understand the point you’re making.”
Harris, as well as Biden, have tried to flip the script on Republicans by bashing Trump and the GOP for blocking a border agreement struck by a group of bipartisan lawmakers with the administration’s backing. Trump had urged Republican lawmakers to abandon the effort, suggesting that Biden at the time could use it as an election-year win.
Why should Americans trust you on the economy after the administration admitted to being surprised by the extent of inflation during Biden’s term? Was it a mistake to give Powell another term?
Voters head into the election still feeling the impacts of high inflation and consider the economy a more important problem compared to four years ago, putting Harris in the position of having to explain how her economic platforms will differ from those of Biden, whose economic approval ratings have languished.
Despite Biden’s low marks, many economic metrics affecting regular people have improved over the course of the pandemic, including the homeownership rate, which was up 1.5 percentage points in the second quarter compared to 2019, as well as a marked increase in wages for the lowest earners between 2020 and 2022. Average hourly earnings have also increased by a greater amount since February 2020 than the increase in the headline consumer price index.
One of the most serious economic criticisms levied against the Biden administration concerned its assessment that the post-pandemic inflation was “transitory.” Inflation proved to have staying power, prompting interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve and a trimming of the central bank’s balance sheet.
Many economists assessed in 2022 that the Fed, which has repeatedly avowed its “data independence,” was late to start raising interest rates. Now there are concerns that the Fed may have also been late in starting to cut rates after unemployment ticked up by 0.2 percentage points in July, triggering a recession indicator.
That’s left Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whom Biden reappointed, in the crosshairs. If she wins election, Harris will be tasked with finding Powell’s replacement when his term ends in 2026.
What did President Biden get wrong on Gaza?
Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attacks have split the Democratic Party, leading thousands of primary voters to cast ballots against Biden when he was running for reelection.
Biden was politically damaged on the issue, especially with young voters and in the critical swing state of Michigan, which has one the largest concentrated Arab American populations in the country.
Harris is seen as more sympathetic to the Palestinians but has only given subtle indications on any daylight between her and Biden. She has addressed the suffering in Gaza more pointedly than Biden, but is firm on U.S. weapons assistance to Israel. Still, she opted to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress in which, as vice president, she would have served in a ceremonial role.
Harris is sure to be pressed on the campaign trail about shortfalls by the Biden administration during the war in the Middle East. She has faced her own pro-Palestinian protesters during rallies in various states where at one point she declared: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that.”
Democrats and activists want to see her condemn Israel and the killing of civilians in Gaza with harsher rhetoric than she has used so far.
You supported a ban on fracking in your 2020 campaign. Now you said you wouldn’t seek to ban fracking if elected. What changed?
Running in a crowded Democratic primary in 2019, Harris endorsed a ban on fracking, a controversial method of oil and gas extraction.
“There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” she told CNN at the time.
However, The Hill first reported last month that in her 2024 campaign, she would no longer support a fracking ban. She has not explained why her stance differs from the one she took last cycle.
The shift disappointed progressive and environmentally-minded voters, though these voters are still expected to support her campaign. It may help her standing in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state and major gas producer.
The Biden administration has not supported a fracking ban and Biden opposed an outright ban in his own 2020 campaign.
Fracking technology was a key driver of the “shale revolution” that cemented the U.S.’s role as a leading oil and gas producer. However, critics of the practice have raised concerns about climate change, earthquakes and pollution, and a 2022 study found that children living near fracking sites had a higher likelihood of developing leukemia.
Trump has criticized Harris over her past stance, raising concerns about economic impacts of a ban.
You backed Medicare for all during your 2020 campaign. Will this be a priority in your presidency?
Harris made Medicare for all one of the central health platforms of her 2020 presidential bid but hasn’t raised the proposal as vice president, even as she took on a larger role in the administration’s efforts to strengthen the health insurance program.
Since running for president, Harris’s campaign has told news outlets she does not plan to push a single-payer, Medicare for all system. This might be because the issue landed her in hot water back in 2019.
Harris faced accusations that she wanted to eliminate private insurance during her first presidential campaign. As a senator from California, Harris backed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) “Medicare For All” legislation which proposed getting rid of most forms of private insurance.
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She later clarified she didn’t want to eliminate private health insurance but wanted to get rid of “waste” and “bureaucracy” in the system.
Republicans have since revived such accusations with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) claiming on ABC News this week that Harris had not in fact shifted on this position as her campaign says.
While she’s proudly hailed Medicare negotiation results, Harris hasn’t spoken about her plans for health insurance. She has promised Biden-era health programs will grow under her leadership.
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