Harris vows 'not a continuation' of Biden's presidency, Trump campaign calls her Fox interview 'train wreck'

Days ahead of the keenly-awaited 2024 US Presidential election, Vice President and Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, pledged that her presidency “would not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency”.  

In her first formal interview with the rightwing Fox News channel on Wednesday night which lasted for about 25 minutes, Harris was asked by Bret Baier, the broadcaster’s chief political anchor, if there was anything she “would do differently” from Biden.

Throwing the question on Harris, Baier also played a clip of the vice-president, in a previous interview, saying there is “not a thing that comes to mind” that she would have changed. Her that response has become an attack point among Republicans as they seek to tie Harris to the unpopular Biden administration.

How will Kamala Harris’ presidency be?

However, responding to the question on Wednesday a combative Harris said, “Let me be very clear. My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency, and like every new president that comes into office."

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Harris went on to say that she will bring her life experiences, professional experiences, and fresh new ideas. “I represent a new generation of leadership,” she said.

“For example, as someone who has not spent the majority of my career in Washington DC, I invite ideas: whether it be from the Republicans who are supporting me, who were just on stage with me minutes ago, and the business sector and others, who can contribute to the decisions that I make,” Harris said.

Kamala Harris tells Fox News host Bret Baier, "My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency."

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— TheWrap (@TheWrap) October 16, 2024

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On Tuesday, Biden had said that Harris would “cut her own path” as president.

Harris’ testy Fox News interview

Harris’ interview with Fox News was frequently testy, with she and Baier frequently interrupting and speaking over each other.

The interview started with Baier asking Harris on immigration, which voters have pegged as one of the defining issues of the upcoming US election.

Harris argued that the administration has taken the issue of immigration seriously and that many of the problems they were facing pre-dated her and Biden taking office. She then attacked Trump for his role in blocking a bipartisan bill that would have surged resources to address the border surge.

“We’ve had a broken immigration system transcending by the way Donald Trump’s administration even before. Let’s all be honest about that. I have no pride in saying that this is a perfect immigration system,” she said.

Harris further said that she and Biden had offered legislation to address the immigration system within hours of taking office.  

“Our focus has been on fixing a problem,” she said.

During the interview, an advertisement from the Trump campaign attacking Harris for statements during the 2020 presidential campaign was played in which the Vice President said she would use taxpayer dollars to pay for gender transition surgeries for prisoners.  

Harris responded by mentioning a recent report in the New York Times mentioning that federal prisoners had received gender affirming care during Trump’s administration.

“I think frankly that ad from the Trump campaign is a little bit of like throwing you know stones when you’re living in a glass house. I will follow the law, and it’s a law that Donald Trump actually followed,” she said.

Harris’ Fox News interview a ’train wreck’

Trump’s campaign described the interview with Fox News as a “train wreck."

“Kamala was angry, defensive, and once again abdicated any responsibility for the problems Americans are facing,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Earlier, Trump had reacted furiously to the news that Baier would be interviewing Harris, posting on social media that the anchor was “often very soft to those on the ‘cocktail circuit’ left” and falsely claiming that Fox News “has grown so weak and soft on the Democrats”.

However, during the interview on Wednesday, Baier largely stuck to rightwing issues.

With inputs from agencies.