Kamala Harris Confronted on Changes in Her Policy Positions

During her first sit-down interview since entering the 2024 presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris faced questions about her policy issues that have changed since she ran for president four years ago.
In a preview of her interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, which aired Thursday afternoon, Harris was asked how voters should receive some of her policy adjustments now that she is running at the top of the ticket. The vice president has shifted her opinion on issues such as energy and health care compared to her past campaigns, notably when running in the Democratic primary in 2020.
“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” Harris told Bash.
The vice president mentioned her efforts to fight for clean energy through legislation like the Green New Deal and Inflation Reduction Act and highlighted her past actions to “secure our border.”
“That value has not changed,” Harris said. “I spent two terms as the attorney general of California prosecuting transnational criminal organizations, violations of American laws regarding the passage illegal passage of guns, drugs and human beings across our border. My values have not changed.”
Harris’ full interview with Bash will air on CNN at 9 p.m. EST Wednesday. Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, also participated in the interview.
Republicans have criticized Harris for walking back on her past statements on issues such as fracking. While running for the 2020 Democratic nomination, Harris expressed support for issuing a national fracking ban, a statement that former President Donald Trump’s campaign has pointed to on several occasions.
Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has also accused Harris of wanting to implement “socialist” health care policies. During her freshman year as a senator for California, Harris co-sponsored a bill alongside Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders that would have created a nationwide single-payer health insurance plan, and she expressed support for ending private health insurance.
CNN reported in late July that a Harris campaign official said the vice president no longer supports a single-payer health care system or a national ban on fracking.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email on Thursday for comment.
Harris told Bash during their interview that after “four years of being vice president, I’ll tell you, one of the aspects, to your point, is traveling the country extensively.”
“I believe it is important to build consensus, and it is important to find a common place of understanding of where we can actually solve problems,” she added.
The vice president also expressed interest in appointing a Republican to her cabinet if elected in November, saying that she believes “it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences.”
Update 08/29/24, 5:27 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.