I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender, the Democratic presidential nominee said.
New York: Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, in her first joint media interview with Vice-President pick and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, said that the American people are ready for a new way forward. “I think sadly in the last decade, we have had in the former president someone who has really been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans, really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that,” Harris said in a CNN interview.
She further said that the most important and most significant aspect of his policy perspective and decisions is that her values have not changed. “I’m very proud of the work that we have done that has brought inflation down to less than three per cent, the work that we have done to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors. Donald Trump said he was gonna do a number of things, including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Never happened. We did it”.
Harris also brushed off Donald Trump's questioning of her racial identity, dismissing his suggestion that she “happened to turn Black” as “same old, tired playbook”. The Indian-origin leader said that there is no question she is in favor of banning fracking “I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020 that I would not ban fracking. As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking. … In 2020 I made very clear where I stand. We are in 2024, and I have not changed that position, nor will I going forward. I kept my word, and I will keep my word”.
When asked by CNN to describe her day-one objectives should she win, Harris did not list any specific steps, like signing executive actions or orders. Instead, she reiterated her focus on strengthening the economy. “First and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class. On day one of my administration, I will implement my plan for an opportunity economy. This plan will bring down the cost of everyday goods, invest in America's small businesses, and extend the Child Tax Credit,” she added.
Harris also pointed to the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provided record investments in combating climate change, as an example of her climate record. “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,” she was quoted as saying.
She further said: “We had to recover as an economy, and we have done that. There’s more to do, but that’s good work”. On Middle East tensions, she said “We have to get a deal done. This war must end, and we must get a deal that is about getting the hostages out”.
Walz said he was enthusiastic about “the idea of inspiring America to what can be.” He pushed back against Republican attacks he said were directed toward his family. “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 going to do that,” he said.
