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Vice President Kamala Harris has not given many interviews with journalists during her short presidential campaign, and certainly not with conservative media outlets.
In fact, her nearly 30-minute chat with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Wednesday was her first interview with a conservative network, reinvigorating her campaign in the final spurt before Election Day and supporting Donald Trump. This message was sent to Fox News watchers who are concerned about voting for former President Trump.
The interview began with a heated conversation about immigration, which continued for a while. Mr. Baier constantly interrupted, trying to get Ms. Harris to come up with numbers on how many illegal immigrants had been released into the country, but Ms. Harris instead tried to frame immigration as a larger problem that needed to be addressed.
BEIER: So your Secretary of Homeland Security said that 85% of the anxiety is…
HARRIS: Well, it’s not – but it’s not over yet. It’s not over yet. We have it, but our immigration system needs fixes.
Bayer: An estimated 6 million people were released into the country. Let me end with that. Let’s get into the questions. I promise you.
Harris: I was starting to answer.
Harris noted that President Joe Biden’s White House introduced an immigration bill as its first legislative proposal after taking office in 2021. Mr. Baier countered that the House and Senate, then controlled by Democrats, had not considered the bill.
Harris then turned to recent bipartisan efforts to pass new immigration legislation that was rejected by Congress over President Trump’s opposition.
Baier also asked if he would like to apologize to three women, including Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who were killed by illegal immigrants in recent years. Harris first expressed sympathy, but did not apologize.
First of all, these are tragic cases. There’s no question about that. There’s no question about that. And I can’t imagine the pain that the families of those victims went through because of a loss that never should have happened. That’s true.
But Harris added:
Also, if in fact Border Patrol had passed nine months ago, nine months from now there would be more Border Patrol agents at the border and more support for those working 24 hours a day to protect the border. It is also true that the number would have increased. Everyone together…
Mr. Baier interrupted Mr. Harris as he played a video of his 12-year-old daughter, Jocelyn Nangaray, who was murdered in Houston. Both suspects charged with murder were Venezuelans living in the United States illegally. Nungarai said her daughter died because the men were not detained at the border.
BEIER: So, my point is, do you owe them an apology?
HARRIS: Let me tell you how sorry I am for her loss. I am so sorry to have lost her. From the heart. But let’s talk about what’s happening now with an individual (Trump) who doesn’t want to be part of the solution. To be fair, let’s talk about that too.
Mr. Baier continued to pursue immigration, a top issue for many voters, especially Republicans and Republican-leaning voters. He asked when Harris, who claimed the border was secure at the beginning of the Biden administration, began to recognize there was a problem. She said the immigration system and borders have been destroyed under multiple presidential administrations.
By the way, the immigration system has been broken before, even beyond the Donald Trump administration. Let’s all be honest about that. I have no pride. While I say this is a perfect immigration system, I think everyone does that this needs to be fixed.
Baier asked why the Border Patrol union supports Trump. Mr. Harris replied:
I think they’re frustrated, and I get it. They want support. They want support. And that’s what the border security bill would have done. The men and women at the border are working hard. They work around the clock. Understood.
As a candidate in the 2019 Democratic presidential primary, Harris said she would no longer support decriminalizing illegal immigration, despite her previous stance favoring it.
I don’t believe in decriminalizing border crossing, and I never did so as Vice President. As president, I won’t do that.
When Baier asked if this was an evolution in thinking, Harris cited her background as a prosecutor working with transnational criminal organizations.
I have spent a significant portion of my career pursuing people who pose a threat to the safety of the American people, who cross the border with intent to harm us, and who attempt to cross the border illegally. , intends to carry out that job as vice president. . I take that job pretty seriously.
Baier shifted the conversation from immigration to the gender wedge. He has invested heavily in commercials featuring Trump supporters showing Harris, also during the 2019 Democratic primaries, and comments unearthed by CNN’s K-Files about prisoners needing gender reassignment surgery. He pointed out that he had expressed his intention to allow the patient to undergo surgery.
Baier: So do you still support using tax dollars to help prison inmates and detained illegal aliens transition to another gender?
Harris was clearly prepared for this question and responded by pointing to federal law that was in place during the Trump administration.
I follow the law, and it’s the law that Donald Trump actually followed. As you probably know, it’s now public knowledge that under Donald Trump’s administration, people in federal prisons can now undergo these surgeries based on medical necessity. And, frankly, I think the Trump campaign’s ads are like throwing rocks when you live in a glass house.
Baier said President Trump did not support the law and that no sex reassignment surgeries were performed during his presidency.
Well, what do you know? You have to take responsibility for what happens within your administration.
she’s right. That is the cruel reality for the president. That would also apply to her on Fox News, where she defended the Biden administration’s economic and immigration record. Harris said ads about inmate gender reassignment are distracting because they don’t influence many voters.
He spent $20 million on these ads trying to instill fear in voters. Because we don’t actually have a plan to focus on the needs of the American people in this election. On the other hand, we spent $20 million on that ad because: It’s actually quite far away as it relates to the biggest issues affecting the American people.
Baier played a video of Harris saying she wouldn’t change anything under Biden’s presidency, and asked how things would be different for her.
Let me be clear. My presidency is not a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency. And like all new presidents who take office, I bring my own life experiences, professional experiences, and fresh new ideas to the table. I represent a new generation of leadership.
Harris, who has spent much of her career working outside of Washington, said she would solicit ideas from serving Republicans and focus on housing and small business.
There was a lengthy discussion about Harris’ claim that her campaign represented an opportunity for Americans to “turn the page.” Baier noted that he has been in the current administration for more than three years. She said it will be a change from the days when President Trump loomed over politics.
“It’s about turning the page on rhetoric that, frankly, people are tired of, Brett. People are tired of.
Baier interrupted her to point out that in some polls, more than 70% of Americans say the country is on the “wrong path.” Isn’t the Biden administration part of that? Harris, who was at an event with Republicans supporting her campaign, said the fatigue is bipartisan and it has to do with Trump.
For me over the last 10 years, and of course for the Republicans who have been on stage with me: former chief of staff, Donald Trump, former secretary of defense, national security adviser, vice president. It’s obvious. The nation is tired of a man who professes to be unfit to serve, that he is unstable, dangerous, and a leader who spends his full time degrading himself and harboring personal grievances. And it’s about him, not the American people.
So why does nearly half of the country support Trump? Baier asked.
This is the United States presidential election. It’s not easy. It’s not easy for everyone.
Mr. Baier responded by trying to provoke Trump into insulting people who support him. “Are 50% of people misguided? Are they stupid? What is it?”
Oh, God, I would never say that about the American people. And the fact is, if you listen to Donald Trump’s words, if you look at his rallies, he is someone who tends to degrade, belittle, and degrade the American people. He’s the one who talks about the enemy within. The enemy within talks about the American people. He suggested that the U.S. military be directed against the American people.
This was in reference to President Trump’s recent claims that the threat from Democrats, whom he calls the “enemy from within,” is greater than the threat from China and other foreign powers. Baier played a short clip that seemed to make light of Trump’s words, but Trump repeated them over and over again.
Baier then turned to Harris’ recent claims that Trump is unstable, something Republicans attacked earlier this year for saying Biden was unfit for another four years in office. It is a reversal of the script of time.
(President Trump) is not stable. And we should all be concerned.
In response, Baier asked, “When did you first notice that President Biden’s mental capacity seemed to be declining?” It was a question that seemed to shock Harris, making him drop his jaw. He defended Biden, saying he has the judgment and experience to make decisions. When Baier asked if she had any concerns about Biden’s ability, Harris replied:
Brett, Joe Biden is not on the ballot. And so is Donald Trump.
Harris said many people who worked with Trump in the White House have expressed concerns about him.
Even those who worked for him in the Oval Office and with him in the Situation Room have said he is unfit, dangerous, and should never again be President of the United States, including his former vice president, and that is the reason the position was opened. This is to get him to choose another vice presidential candidate. That’s a fact. That’s a fact.
After a brief exchange about foreign policy and how the United States might rein in Iran, the clock ticked down and Baier began to wrap up his story.
“Mrs. Vice President, they’re wrapping me up so hard here,” he said, adding, “I wish you could say what you wanted to say about Donald Trump, but there’s a lot to say…” he added.
There’s so much more I want to say, so much more I want to say…
But that was all there was to the interview.
