4 Key Takeaways from Harris’ Fox News Interview
Vice President Kamala Harris gave a challenging interview on Fox News on Wednesday night, her first appearance on the conservative network.
The 30-minute discussion with chief political correspondent Bret Baier began on a tense note, with Baier pressing Harris to estimate how many “illegal immigrants” she believes the Biden administration has “released into the country over the past three years.” -Half a year."
As Harris tried to answer, Baier interrupted her several times in an attempt to get personal.
"I'm in the middle of responding to the point you're making," she told Baier. "I want to finish."
The exchanges remained contentious throughout. Here are some key takeaways from the conversation.
Harris Denies Any Intent to Decriminalize Illegal Border Crossings
In the initial exchange on immigration and border security, Harris emphasized that she does not and has never supported decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings into the United States.
"We have a broken immigration system that needs to be fixed," she told Baier. "I'm very clear — as is Tim Wallis — that we have to uphold federal law and enforce it, and that's our commitment."
Harris also criticized Trump for rejecting a bipartisan border security agreement, claiming that the former president preferred to "deal with a problem rather than solve a problem."
Baer pointed to the cases of Jocelyn Nungarai, Laken Riley, and Rachel Morin, young women who were murdered by men who entered the United States illegally. They have been mentioned frequently during Trump rallies.
“Do you owe these families an apology?” Beyer asked.
“These are tragic cases. There’s no question about that,” Harris replied. “However, it’s also true that if the Border Security [bill] had been enacted nine months ago, we would have had more border agents on duty, providing greater support to those who are working tirelessly to prevent future incidents.”
Harris: ‘I will follow the law’ on gender confirmation surgery for transgender prisoners
During another segment, Beyer showed clips from a Trump campaign ad that sharply criticized Harris for her past support of using taxpayer money to provide gender confirmation surgery for transgender prisoners, including undocumented individuals.
When Beyer asked her about her current position, Harris replied: “I will follow the law.”
“It’s actually a law that was followed during Donald Trump’s tenure,” she stated. “During his time in office, surgeries deemed medically necessary were accessible to individuals in the federal prison system. I find the Trump campaign ad to be hypocritical, akin to throwing stones from within a glass house.”
This federal law has been implemented since February 2018. Although the Trump administration tightened the eligibility criteria for transgender surgeries that were established by the Obama administration, these surgeries remained an option throughout Trump’s presidency.
Baier noted that aides of Trump have claimed that no surgeries took place during his administration, which is accurate, as the first surgery occurred in 2022. Nevertheless, Harris countered that Trump's ad was aimed at instilling fear in voters.
“[Trump] allocated $20 million for those advertisements to instill fear among voters because he lacks a genuine plan in this election that addresses the needs of the American populace,” Harris commented.
Harris criticized Baier for airing a misleading clip of Trump. After highlighting that the polling shows a tight race between Trump and Harris, Baier inquired whether she considers the 50% of Americans supporting Trump as “misguided” or “stupid.”
“I would never describe American citizens in that manner,” Harris responded. “If you pay attention to Trump during his rallies, he often belittles and undermines the American public. He is the one insinuating there is an ‘enemy within.’”
Baier then mentioned that Fox News host Harris Faulkner had questioned Trump about this specific statement during a town hall earlier that day, and played a clip of Trump asserting, “I’m not threatening anybody.”
“Bret, I apologize, but with all due respect, what you just aired doesn’t capture what he has repeatedly conveyed regarding the ‘enemy within’ in relation to the American people,” Harris remarked after the clip. “That’s not representative of what you just displayed.”
“He has reiterated that numerous times, and we both recognize that,” she added. “We are well aware that he has spoken about using the American military against the American populace.”
Addressing what her presidency would entail, Harris asserted it “will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s approach.” Baier presented excerpts from two of her recent interviews where she was questioned about the differences she would implement compared to the Biden administration, including her answers during an interview on The View on October 8.
“I can’t think of anything.”
On Wednesday, Harris took a firmer stance in separating herself from Biden.
“Let me emphasize this clearly: My administration will not mirror Joe Biden's administration,” Harris stated to Baier. “Every new president brings their own life experiences, professional background, and innovative ideas to the table. I stand for a new wave of leadership.”
Baier also questioned Harris about her earlier support for Biden’s mental capacity to serve before he withdrew from the reelection race. Harris affirmed that Biden possesses the “experience” and “judgment” necessary for the presidency, then pivoted the focus of the discussion to Trump.
“Joe Biden is not on the ballot; it’s Donald Trump,” she asserted. “He is unfit for office. He lacks stability. He poses a danger. People are worn out.”