6 Takeaways from Harris Interview on NBC

Vice President Kamala Harris sat for a third interview with a major network on Oct. 22, discussing her economic plans for the country, contrasting herself with former President Donald Trump, and fielding pointed questions on abortion and her forthrightness with the American people about the state of President Joe Biden’s health.

The 22-minute conversation with Hallie Jackson of NBC News was Harris’s third major interview since accepting the Democratic nomination for president on Aug. 5. The vice president appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes Oct. 7 and was interviewed on Fox News on Oct. 17.

Here are the takeaways from this most recent interview.

Gender Not an Issue in the Race

Harris said she believes Americans are ready to turn the page and are ready for a woman president. Though Harris is only the second woman to receive a major party nomination for the presidency, she rebuffed Jackson’s assertion that Harris has been reluctant to comment on her gender.

“I’m clearly a woman,” Harris said, chuckling when Jackson raised the issue, adding that voters care more about a candidate’s competence than gender.

“The point that most people really care about is, can you do the job, and do you have a plan to actually focus on them?”

An August poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal indicates a widening gender gap in this election, with men preferring Trump by a margin of 10 percent while women support Harris by a margin of 13 percent.

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Despite that divide, Harris said sexism is not affecting her candidacy. “The experience that I am having is one in which it is clear that regardless of someone’s gender, you want to know that their president has a plan to lower cost, that their president has a plan to secure America in the context of our position around the world,” she said.

Won’t Discuss Pardon for Trump

Though Trump has not been convicted of a federal crime, Jackson asked whether Harris would consider a pardon for the former president if she were elected.

“I’m not going to get into those hypotheticals. I’m focused on the next 14 days,” Harris said.

Jackson then asked whether Harris thought a pardon could help bring America together. Harris said, “Let me tell you what’s going to help us move on. I get elected president of United States.”

Tax Breaks for People, not Corporations

Harris’s economic plan centers on tax breaks and financial aid for consumers. She contrasted with Trump’s plan, which she said favors corporations.

“Young parents, in particular, need help. They have a natural desire to parent their children well, but not all of its resources. Six thousand extra dollars during the first year of their child’s life can help them buy a crib, or a car seat, or clothes,” Harris said. “His plans are about giving tax cuts, massive tax cuts, to billionaires and big corporations.”

Harris said also that she favors a national minimum wage of at least $15 per hour.

Trump has campaigned on increased tariffs to spur domestic manufacturing, decreasing the cost of energy by increasing domestic oil production, and eliminating tax on tips and overtime.

No Religious Exemption on Abortion

Harris has campaigned on abortion access and frequently said she favors the reinstatement of the terms of Roe vs. Wade through legislation.

Jackson pointed out that such legislation may not be possible if Democrats do not control Congress and asked what concessions Harris might consider in negotiating with Republicans.

“Religious exemptions, for example, is that something that you would consider?” Jackson asked.

“I don’t think we should be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body,” Harris said.

On the question of government-provided gender transition surgery for inmates, Harris said she would follow the law.

“I believe that people, as our law states, even on this issue about federal law, that that is a decision that doctors will make in terms of what is medically necessary. I’m not going to put myself in the position of a doctor,” Harris said. She added that the Trump campaign was using the issue to distract attention away from more important health care questions, such as the rising cost of prescription drugs.

Stands by Statements on Biden’s Health

The most pointed exchange came when Jackson asked Harris if she had been completely truthful about Biden’s mental acuity in the days before he withdrew from the presidential race.

“Can you say that you were honest with the American people about what you saw in those moments with President Biden, as you were with him again and again, repeatedly in that time?” Jackson asked.

“Biden is an extremely accomplished, experienced, and capable in every way that anyone would want if they’re president,” Harris said.

Pressed about whether she had seen the hesitancy in speech and apparent loss of train of thought that Biden displayed during his June 30 debate with Trump, Harris said, “It was a bad debate. People have bad debates.”

“It’s judgment question, that’s why I ask,” Jackson said. “Can the American people trust you in these moments, even when it’s maybe uncomfortable for Americans to have to level with Americans in that way?”

The vice president responded by praising Biden’s prowess as a leader in handling international crises, though she did not definitively say that she’d not previously observed the demeanor displayed during the debate.

Noncommittal on Cheney as Cabinet Member

Noting that Harris has mentioned the possibility of appointing a Republican to her cabinet if elected, Jackson asked if she had discussed the possibility with Liz Cheney, the Republican former congresswoman from Wyoming who has endorsed Harris.

“I’ll keep you posted,” Harris said.

Cheney has appeared with Harris at campaign events in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.