Eine wichtige Frage hat Kamala Harris sehr konkret beantwortet. Würde sich die Kandidatin der Demokraten für das Präsidentenamt vom Amtsinhaber distanzieren? Schließlich versuchen die Republikaner seit Wochen mit dem Argument zu punkten, sie werde die Präsidentschaft Joe Bidens einfach fortsetzen. Harris denkt gar nicht daran, von ihm abzurücken.
Als die Vizepräsidentin in dem am Donnerstagabend im Sender CNN ausgestrahlten Interview gefragt wird, ob sie es bereue, so lange die Fähigkeit des 81 Jahre alten Biden verteidigt zu haben, weitere vier Jahre das Amt auszuüben, erwidert sie: „Nein, überhaupt nicht.“ Sie sei stolz darauf, an seiner Seite gedient zu haben. Biden sei ein Mann, dem das amerikanische Volk am Herzen liege. Er sei intelligent, verfüge über Urteilsvermögen und Haltung. Ganz anders als Donald Trump.
Harris erfuhr umgeben von ihrer Familie vom Biden-Rückzug
Dann erzählt Harris, wie Biden ihr mitgeteilt habe, dass er doch aus dem Rennen aussteige. „Es war ein Sonntag“, sagt sie und scherzt, sie gebe damit schon zu viel preis. Es war also am 21. Juli – wenige Stunden, bevor er die Entscheidung öffentlich machte. Und nicht etwa früher. Ihre Familie sei bei ihr gewesen, man habe Pfannkuchen und Speck gegessen. Dann habe das Telefon geklingelt und Biden habe ihr seine Entscheidung mitgeteilt. „Bist Du sicher“, habe sie gefragt. „Ja“, habe der Präsident geantwortet. Um Unterstützung für ihre eigene Kandidatur habe sie ihn nicht bitten müssen. Er habe klargestellt, dass er sie unterstützen werde.
Harris hat lange gewartet, ein erstes Interview als Kandidatin zu geben. Ihre kurzfristige Nominierung löste eine Begeisterungswelle in ihrer Partei aus. Vor dem Parteitag in Chicago Mitte August wollte sie auf dieser Welle surfen. Der öffentliche Druck wurde unterdessen größer, sich konkreten Fragen zu stellen. Und Parteistrategen rieten ihr, die Erwartungshaltung nicht durch längeres Zuwarten zu vergrößern.
The interview was conducted by Dana Bash, who – with Jake Tapper – had also moderated the television debate between Trump and Biden that led to the withdrawal of the candidate chosen in the primaries and which Trump later said was conducted very professionally. Harris decided to appear together with Tim Walz, her candidate for vice president. Critics accused her of needing “a support” and trying to shorten the time for critical questions. The truth is: It was a relatively short conversation, held in Savannah in the swing state of Georgia, where Harris and Walz were campaigning. The tone was friendly. Conclusion: She will certainly be treated even more harshly in the coming weeks.
But the core issues were addressed. Harris always says that we are not returning to the Trump era, the interviewer noted. But many people remembered a better economic situation under the Republican. The Vice President referred to the situation that existed at the beginning of 2021: the pandemic and the economic crisis had determined everything. And many problems had been caused by Trump’s mismanagement. The country had to recover first. When she mentioned the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the questioner dropped the keyword “Bidenomics.” Harris did not use the term. It is too closely associated with inflation. She admitted that there was more to be done and then spoke about her economic program, which aims to reduce the cost of living for the middle class.
“My values have not changed”
She followed the same strategy with the migration crisis. Why did they wait so long to take tougher measures? Trump always claims that Harris was the special envoy for the crisis at the border. She corrected that she was only responsible for tackling the causes of migration in the Central American countries of origin, and emphasized that American investments had also been made there. She then added that she and Biden had agreed with Congress on a bipartisan package that would have included the toughest measures in decades. But Trump had ensured that the Republicans withdrew their support for the law. He preferred to use the issue to campaign. The government then acted by decree.
She once admitted that she had changed her mind. When she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, she was in favor of a ban on fracking. She no longer holds this position today, not least because Pennsylvania, where many jobs depend on shale gas production, will probably be the most important swing state for an election victory in November. Trump, who campaigns with the slogan “Drill, baby, drill,” among other things, continues to claim that she is striving for a ban. Harris emphasizes that she had already come to the conclusion in 2020 that the climate goals could be achieved without a ban on fracking. “My values have not changed,” she emphasized.
She continued to ignore Trump’s personal attacks against her. When asked about Trump’s accusation that she – the daughter of an Indian mother and a black Jamaican father – had at some point “decided” to be black for political expediency, she paused for a moment and then replied: “The same old, worn-out script – next question, please.” Harris wants to campaign as a centrist candidate, which is why she also announced that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet if she won the election. She valued a diversity of opinions. For the same reason, she refrained from making identity politics the focus of her campaign. She wanted to be the president of all Americans, she reiterated in the interview.
In terms of foreign policy, she tried to avoid dangerous pitfalls. Will she be more restrictive in supplying arms to her ally because of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip? Israel has the right to defend itself, Harris replied. She will always support the country. But too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. The war must end and a “deal” must be made. Follow-up: no change in arms supplies? Answer: no change.
Walz is tight-lipped
Walz sat and nodded in agreement most of the time as Harris spoke. When asked if he – the longtime National Guardsman – had doctored his biography a little when he falsely suggested he had been on a combat mission, the Minnesota governor acknowledged that his language had not always been accurate.
The next hurdle for Harris in this short election campaign will be the televised debate with Trump on September 10. Harris and the former president have never spoken directly before.
The Republican also made headlines on Thursday. He has long felt the backlash over the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned the right to abortion. While he initially celebrated the ruling because it came about in 2022 thanks to the conservative constitutional judges he nominated, he later went on to claim that he was only in favor of allowing the states to decide on the issue. Now he said that a six-week deadline, as in Florida, was too short.
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