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Kamala Harris talks to “60 Minutes” about Donald Trump and foreign policy

Posted on by Vanessa
Kamala Harris talks to “60 Minutes” about Donald Trump and foreign policy

Kamala Harris defended her record on “60 Minutes” and said she would seek consensus if she defeats Donald Trump and becomes president.

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WASHINGTON — In a wide-ranging session with “60 Minutes” that aired Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris defended her policy about-faces on issues like fracking and criticized former President Donald Trump for backing out of the interview with the CBS show had.

Harris said, as she did in a previous interview with CNN, that the changes in her positions on a fracking ban and Medicare for All, both of which she no longer supports, came after she met Americans across the country during her travels as vice president had heard.

“What the American people really want is for us to have leaders who can build consensus, where we can find compromises and understand that finding sensible solutions is not a bad thing, as long as you don't compromise your values Harris told “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker. “And that was my approach.”

According to CBS, Trump initially agreed to an interview. He changed his mind and only Harris and her vice president, Tim Walz, appeared on the program, a break with more than fifty years of tradition.

“Unfortunately, Trump canceled last week,” CBS correspondent Scott Pelley said in the show’s introduction, adding that the campaign offered “changing” explanations. One of the issues Trump's campaign raised was that CBS would fact-check the interview, Pelley noted.

“We fact-check every story,” Pelley said.

In response to Trump's absence from the broadcast, Harris repeated an attack line from the debate and urged viewers to watch his events.

“If he doesn’t give your viewers the opportunity to have a meaningful, thoughtful conversation, question and answer with you, then watch his rallies,” she said. “You’ll hear conversations that talk about himself and all his personal grievances.”

Harris on Trump: America wants a leader “who won’t try to divide us”

During the “60 Minutes” interview, Whitaker asked Harris about her previous statements about Trump being divisive. Among the examples he cited were Trump's baseless claims that Haitian migrants living in Springfield, Ohio, are kidnapping and eating pets.

Trump has the support of millions of Americans, he emphasized. “How do you explain that?” he asked.

Harris responded: “I'm glad you pointed out these comments that he made that caused most reasonable people to respond that it's just wrong, it's just wrong.”

Harris was again pressed on the fact that so many people support Trump, whom she had previously called a racist, and declined to criticize Americans who plan to vote for him.

“I believe that the people of America want a leader who will not try to divide and demean us,” she asserted. “I believe that the American people realize that the true measure of a leader's strength is not who you knock down, but who you lift up.”

Harris says high food prices are a priority

The economy remains the top issue for voters, and Harris said bringing down high food prices would be a priority if she wins the election.

“And I know that, and we have to deal with it, which is why it's part of my plan,” Harris said after Whitaker asked whether the Americans who blamed her and President Joe Biden were wrong.

Harris has proposed tax breaks for new parents, first-time home buyers and entrepreneurs. She said she would pay for her plans by increasing the corporate tax rate, which requires an act from Congress, and by increasing taxes on capital gains for wealthy Americans.

Biden failed to push key parts of his agenda through Congress after he proposed funding his plans with tax increases. Harris said she would have better luck.

She told Whitaker that if you talk to lawmakers “in private” about the issue, “they know exactly what I'm talking about.”

“There are many leaders in Congress who understand and know that the Trump tax cuts have driven up our federal deficit,” she added, referring to a 2017 bill he signed into law.

Analysts said Harris' economic plans could also increase the federal deficit, but forecasts showed Trump's economic plans would be more costly.

Harris urges Congress to pass immigration reform

Harris renewed calls for Congress to pass a bipartisan immigration reform bill that failed in the U.S. Senate after Trump encouraged lawmakers not to vote for it.

Illegal border crossings have fallen sharply since Biden introduced stricter asylum measures. Harris has said she will continue to take action.

“It's a long-standing problem. And there are solutions. And from day one, we have literally offered solutions,” Harris told “60 Minutes.”

Harris reiterates his support for Ukraine, says diplomacy with Israel is an 'ongoing task'

Harris sidestepped a question about whether the Biden administration had “influence” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but reiterated that Israel is an important U.S. ally.

“The work we do diplomatically with Israel’s leadership is a continuing effort to clarify our principles,” Harris said. “I think, with all due respect, the better question is whether we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people, and the answer to that question is yes.”

Israel has the right to defend itself, she said of its response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants. “And how that happens is important. Far too many innocent Palestinians were killed. This war must end.”

The Democratic candidate said she would not meet unilaterally with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

“Not bilaterally without Ukraine, no. “Ukraine must have a say in the future of Ukraine,” she said.

Harris declined to say whether she would support Ukraine's admission to NATO, despite member states adopting language over the summer that said the country's path to membership was “irreversible.”

“Those are all issues that we will deal with when the time comes,” Harris said. “Right now, we support Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against unprovoked aggression from Russia.”

Harris said that if Trump were president, he would make a deal that would give Putin control of Ukraine. “Do you know what that is? It’s about surrender,” she said.

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