What we learnt about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz through their first interview

A photo that deeply touched her, a phone call that changed US history and a reiteration of her values.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, sat down for her first in-depth media interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, answering questions from CNN’s Dana Bash.

In the interview that lasted for nearly 30 minutes, Harris outlined her agenda for America, insisting that she is “the best person to do this job”. The 59-year-old also declared that her top priority upon taking office would be helping middle-class Americans address economic concerns including inflation.

All closely followed Harris’ interview, as she has faced scrutiny for avoiding a major media interview since announcing her candidacy late last month.

But what did we learn from Harris’ interview? Here are the key takeaways from Harris’ interview.

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Harris reiterates her values

Since becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee for the US presidential elections, a criticism that Harris has faced is that she remains vague on her policies and has flipped-flopped on some issues.

Using the interview as an opportunity, Harris said: “The most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed.”

The US vice president explained how her positions on issues, including fracking and border security have evolved since she first ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019. On fracking — that she once opposed — she said: “As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking.”

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She added, “What I’ve seen is that we can grow and we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.”

Notably, fracking is a significant topic in battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio.

On the issue of migration — a topic on which she has been criticised for being too soft — Harris said that as president she would sign tough legislation. Speaking on those who cross the border unlawfully, Harris said, “I believe there should be consequence. We have laws that have to be followed and enforced that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally.”

“My value around what we need to do to secure our border — that value has not changed. I spent two terms as the attorney general of California prosecuting transnational criminal organisations,” she said.

Refusal to engage in Trump rhetoric

Harris in her interview with CNN refused to indulge in conversation about Trump’s attacks on her identity.

When the interviewer asked Harris about the former US president’s comments about her racial identity, she sidestepped the question, saying it is part of his “same old tired playbook.”

She added, “Next question, please.”

Harris cast Trump as a divisive character in her interview, saying he is “someone who is 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,” she further stated.

Harris’ sidestepping of Trump’s attacks is part of her campaign — running her race as opposed to what Trump is saying.

Harris’ plan for day one

Harris used the interview as a platform to outline what will be her presidency plan if she comes to power. She told CNN that her top priority if she wins the November 5 election would be bolstering the middle class. She said she would “do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class.”

“Prices, in particular for groceries, are still too high. The American people know it. I know it,” she said. “Which is why my agenda includes what we need to do to bring down the price of groceries, for example, dealing with an issue like price gouging.”

Harris added, “What we need to do to extend the child tax credit to help young families be able to take care of their children in their most formative years. What we need to do to bring down the cost of housing; my proposal includes what would be a tax credit of $25,000 for first-time home buyers.”

When questioned why she has not already pushed this through as vice president, she said that “we had to recover as an economy”.

Harris also said that she would consider having a Republican in her Cabinet. “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,” Harris explained.

“And I think it would be to the benefit of the American public to have a member of my Cabinet who was a Republican.”

Neither Biden nor Trump have a member from the opposite party in their Cabinet. The last president to do so was Barack Obama when he appointed Ray LaHood, a Republican, as his transportation secretary.

The phone call that changed it all

It was obvious that the interview would speak of the phone call that changed it all; when Joe Biden announced that, he was dropping out of the race for the White House.

Describing that moment, Harris told CNN that it was a busy morning at her residence. Harris said she was making breakfast for relatives visiting from out of town and had just sat down to do a puzzle with her nieces when the phone rang.

“It was Joe Biden, and he told me what he had decided to do,” Harris said on how she learned the president was ending his re-election bid and endorsing her to replace him.

“He told me what he had decided to do. And I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ And that’s how I learned about it,” she said.

She went on to defend her boss, saying his presidency would be appreciated more in hindsight. “I think history is going to show… in so many ways it was transformative.”

Tim Walz and his military record

One part of the interview also focused on Harris’ vice presidential pick — Tim Walz . Speaking about false charges and his military record, the Minnesota governor said that he had misspoken on the fact of serving in a combat zone. “My wife, the English teacher, told me my grammar’s not always correct,” he said.

“First of all, I’m incredibly proud I’ve done 24 years of wearing the uniform of this country,” Walz said. “I wear my emotions on my sleeves, and I speak especially passionately about our children being shot in schools and around guns. So I think people know me,” he said. “They know who I am. They know where my heart is.”

With inputs from agencies