In Kamala Harris‘ first solo interview since starting her run for the White House seven weeks ago, the Vice President stuck to her talking points in the sit-down with ABC’s Philadelphia affiliate.
There were no baseless claims from the VP about immigrants eating pets in Ohio, like the ones Donald Trump made yet again out in Harris’ home state of California today. Instead, the polished Harris stayed focused on her pitches for the economy, giving working Americans a leg-up, gun ownership, and reducing crime. Looking for every vote she can get, VP also told Action News 6’s Brian Taff’s how she differs from President Joe Biden.
“I’m obviously not Joe Biden,” the Veep told Taff in response to a question about a policy she and her POTUS boss had different opinions on. “And you know, I offer a new generation of leadership,” Harris added in language recognizable from her ABC News hosted debate with Trump on September 10. “So, for example, thinking about developing and creating an opportunity economy where it’s about investing in areas that really need a lot of work. Maybe focusing on again, the aspirations and the dreams, but also just recognizing that at this moment in time, some of the stuff we could take for granted years ago, we can’t take for granted anymore.”
You can watch the whole interview here:
Coming off her joint interview with running mate Gov. Tim Walz on CNN on August 29 and the City of Brotherly Love hosted debate with the often incoherent former Celebrity Apprentice host on the Disney-own network earlier this week, the Harris campaign’s decision to go with a local station for her inaugural individual interview makes strategic sense.
One, with declining national network viewership, going local has been the media mantra of the Biden/Harris team since the 2020 election and into government. Also, despite Beltway allegations that local TV is softball city, in a race where the conventional wisdom is it’s all about battleground states there are few jewels in the crown as precious as Pennsylvania. So, granting the VP’s first solo interview to the Philly ABC station makes for good politics, in both the popular vote and the electoral college.
Almost all polls have Harris and Trump essentially tied in the Keystone State and its 19 electoral votes. The VP has been all over Pennsylvania on Friday with an event in Jonestown (where she conducted the interview with Taff in local bookstore Classic Elements), a rally in Wilkes-Barre and more. Trump was out in California after fundraisers in the Golden State on Thursday, before heading to an event in Sin City itself Las Vegas.
After laying out the difference she has with Joe Biden, Harris was very pointed in the interview outlying her differences with Trump, and barely mentioned her foe’s name in process.
“Based on experience and a lived experience, No In my heart, I know in my soul, I know that the vast majority of us as Americans have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris said to Taff. “And I also believe that I am accurate in knowing that most Americans want a leader who brings us together as Americans, and not someone who professes to be a leader who is trying to have us point our fingers at each other.”
“I think people are more willing now, in light of the hate and division that we see coming out of Donald Trump, to say, hey, let’s put country first,” the VP went on to say with terms straight out of John McCain’s 2008 unsuccessful campaign against Barack Obama. “And I think that just makes us stronger and more healthy as a country, to say, look, we will. We can all debate our differences around, you know, various policies, but let’s stop with the division. Like enough of that, let’s bring everybody together.”
To that, if you have any doubt how important Pennsylvania is to Harris’ pathway to victory and 270 electoral votes, the VP will be back in the state and Philadelphia on September 17 for an event with the National Association of Black Journalists. Trump made an appearance with the NABJ in late July, mere days after Biden dropped out and Harris became the Dems’ standard bearer. As the Republican questioned if the VP was even Black, that on-stage visit by Trump went from bad to really bad.
For this weekend, the campaign says the VP is staying in DC with just tomorrow’s Phoenix Awards from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on her schedule.
