Economy, Gaza and political nationalism: 5 takeaways from Kamala Harris’ interview with NABJ
Harris examined Trump after the second assassination attempt
Vice President Kamala Harris said she called to check on Donald Trump after the second attempt on his life.
In an attempt to defuse criticism of the lack of coverage, Vice President Kamala Harris took questions from the National Association of Black Journalists on Tuesday on topics ranging from the economy to impeachment. Trump’s pet food policy.
In an interview in Philadelphia, he answered questions from reporters representing POLITICO, the Grio and NPR about the economy, Israel’s war with Hamas and his call with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday — as he seeks the Republican nomination. and his partner, Ohio Sen. . JD Vance, for attacks on Haitian immigrants.
Harris’ interview with the group came nearly two months after Trump held his controversial — and controversial — interview with Black journalists at the organization’s national convention.
The dogs of the economic question Harris
The first question Harris asked was about an issue that concerned many American voters: the economy. Voters said when they voted that they trust Trump more on economic issues and especially inflation. These are areas where Harris has struggled to gain a significant footing.
The economy was also the number one question in the presidential debate last week. Harris did not directly answer a question at the time about whether Americans were better off four years ago when Trump was president. He faced the same question early in his interview on Tuesday.
Harris complained that he and President Joe Biden took office “during the worst unemployment period since the Great Depression” – a misleading statement when the unemployment rate has reached 6.8% after hitting a record low of 14.8% in April 2020.
He described the Biden administration’s actions to lower the unemployment rate and his recent economic policy, which includes giving first-time home buyers a down payment of $25,000 and expanding the child tax credit.
But he realized, there is still something to be done. “Is the price of groceries still too high? Yes,” he said. “Do we have a lot of work to do? Yes.”
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Misinformation about Haitian immigrants
Harris criticized Trump and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, for raising false rumors that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, called their comments “a crying shame.”
But he had a warning for his Republican opponents: be more careful with words on the national stage. Trump and Vance’s comments spreading false rumors have led to threatening phone calls, bomb threats, and the evacuation of public buildings in Springfield, Ohio.
“When you have a microphone in front of you, you have to really understand how much meaning your words have,” Harris said. “I learned at a very young age in my work that the meaning of my words can affect whether a person is free or in prison.”
Peace in the Middle East is within reach
Harris said he still believes a two-state solution to the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is still possible. The vice president said he supports Israel’s ability to defend itself and an independent Palestinian state.
The Biden administration has been working with Egypt and Qatar throughout the summer to negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that would end the war in Gaza. None appeared. Harris said Tuesday that an agreement was not reached.
POLITICO White House reporter Eugene Daniels pushed Harris to distance himself from Biden on his approach to the conflict. Harris said he had private and direct discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others about how to end the war.
“But ultimately, the thing that will unlock everything in that area is for this deal to be done,” Harris said.
Gun violence prevention
Harris expanded on his views on gun safety laws, noting as he argued that he owns a gun, after reporter Tonya Mosley, co-host of NPR’s “Fresh Air” and “Truth Be Told” asked him what he would do. prevent gun violence.
“We’re not trying to take away their guns, but we need a ban on weapons,” Harris replied.
The vice president said he wants to see “reasonable gun safety laws” and reiterated the call for a global review. “It makes sense that you would want to know before someone purchases a deadly weapon if they have been found by a jury to be a danger to themselves or others,” Harris said.
Pressed by Mosley to go beyond his talking points, Harris said he had protested at a gun show and supported closing the so-called gun loophole. The former San Francisco district attorney said she has held the hands of mothers who have lost their children to gun violence. Harris says the problem requires a holistic approach that includes untreated trauma.
Congress has passed two gun safety laws in 2022. Harris says more funding should be put into the public interest and that this issue should be prioritized.
“There are very few solutions that we haven’t thought of,” he said. “We need to (put) resources into them.”
Personality in politics
In their presidential debate in September, Harris accused Trump. He passed his lectern, went to the former president and extended his hand. Trump moved it. The conflict started suddenly.
Trump returned the gesture the next morning at a 9/11 memorial service in New York City. Harris was speaking with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer when former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg called him to let him know Trump had arrived. He extended his hand and accepted. He held onto it, and patted it, before letting go.
The former president and Harris spoke by phone on Tuesday after the Secret Service foiled a second assassination attempt on Trump, the sitting vice president told NABJ.
“I checked on him to see if he was okay,” he said. “In a democracy, there is no place for political violence. We can and should have healthy discussions and debates and disagreements, but not use violence to solve those problems.”
Those three meetings, all in the past week, as well as Monday’s phone call between Trump and President Joe Biden were rare nationalistic moments in what has been a bitter campaign amid political violence that has it increases.
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