Harris gives major interview while Trump does town hall

On Thursday night, CNN aired an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The recorded interview was the first that Harris has given to a major television network since being named the Democratic presidential nominee earlier this month.

Hours before the interview aired, former President Donald Trump took part in a town hall during a campaign stop in La Crosse, Wis. The town hall was moderated by former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who recently endorsed the Republican nominee for president.

At their respective events, the opposing candidates provided their views on issues ranging from inflation to foreign policy and immigration.

What are Harris’ immediate priorities? CNN’s Dana Bash asked Harris what she would do on the first day of her administration. Harris said her immediate priority was to help the middle class by implementing her plan for what she characterized as an opportunity economy. The plan would involve bringing down grocery prices by cracking down on what she called price gouging. The government would also invest in small businesses, she said. She supported the extension of the child tax credit to $6,000 for qualifying families in the first year of a child’s life. Additionally, she called for $25,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time home buyers to provide affordable housing.

What did Trump have to say about inflation and the economy? During his town hall on Thursday evening, Trump lamented that inflation caused many Americans to cut back on even simple grocery items like bacon. He cited mismanagement of the U.S. energy policy as well as unchecked government spending as reasons for the high inflation. He also criticized Harris’ previously announced idea of federal price controls on groceries as a communist plan, arguing that such price controls historically led to tremendous inflation and product shortages. Instead, he proposed to help the U.S. economy by resuming oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, lowering taxes, and seeking U.S. energy independence.

Does Harris think so-called Biden-omics works? Harris did not answer the question directly but said when Biden first assumed office during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 10 million jobs had been lost and the economy had crashed. She blamed the Trump administration, saying he mismanaged the economy. She expressed support for actions taken by the Biden administration, which she credited for the inflation rate slowing to less than 3 percent. She revisited the Biden administration’s involvement in Medicare-negotiated prices for medicine, resulting for example, in the price of insulin being capped at $35 for seniors.

What about immigration? Harris said she is the only presidential candidate who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations for engaging in human, drug, and weapons trafficking. She accused Trump of convincing his allies in Congress to stop a bipartisan border bill earlier this year. She said the bill she said would have added 1,500 more federal border security agents and increased fentanyl seizures. As president, she would revive the legislation is revived and sign it if it reaches her desk, Harris said.

Trump told town hall attendees that there was a crisis at the border and millions of illegal immigrants were pouring into the country to take jobs from U.S. citizens, including minorities. He promised to seal the border if elected president. He accused Harris of changing her immigration views to align with his, suggesting the audience should get her a “Make America Great Again” hat.

What did Harris have to say about recent reversals on policy? During the interview, Bash confronted Harris about dropping her calls for a Green New Deal and a ban on fracking to tap natural gas. Harris maintained that her policy views never changed. Harris said she still believes there is a climate crisis and that the United States should impose time-based goals to reduce carbon emissions, but said much was accomplished through the Inflation Reduction Act, making passage of a Green New Deal less urgent. She insisted she would not ban fracking as president.

What did the candidates have to say about foreign policy? In regards to Israel’s ongoing war with the terrorist group Hamas, Bash asked whether Harris would withhold certain arms from Israel. Harris sidestepped the question by reiterating Israel’s right to defend itself against the Oct. 7 attacks. She added that how Israel defends itself matters, and said too many innocent Palestinians have lost their lives in the conflict. She added that she supports a cease-fire deal that would result in the release of all of the Israeli hostages.

At his town hall, Trump was asked what he would do to prevent global conflict. Trump said he kept leaders like China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin pacified by telephone calls and being smart. He claimed that Putin was likely emboldened to invade Ukraine by how the Biden administration pulled out of Afghanistan. He argued that Chinese and Russian leaders respected America during his administration, but they no longer do, he said.