Harris pressed on changing positions, economic plan in ’60 Minutes’ interview

Vice President Harris was pressed on her changing policy positions and her expensive economic plan on “60 Minutes,” in what proved to be her toughest media interview since becoming the Democratic nominee.

CBS News’s Bill Whitaker questioned Harris on a variety of issues, including Harris’s evolving stances on fracking, immigration and Medicare. At one point, Whitaker, citing the nonpartisan Committee for Responsible Federal Budget, estimated her plans could add more than $3 trillion to the federal deficit.

Harris, in turn, argued that her plan would strengthen the economy, while former President Trump’s plan would weaken it. But Whitaker repeated the question, asking how such expensive proposals would be paid for.

“But we’re dealing with the real world here,” he replied when she said she would make sure wealthy Americans pay their fair share in taxes. “How are you gonna get this through Congress?”

“When you talk quietly with a lot of folks in Congress, they know exactly what I’m talking about because their constituents know exactly what I’m talking about. Their constituents are those firefighters and teachers and nurses. Their constituents are middle-class, hard-working folk,” Harris replied.

She disagreed when Whitaker said Congress has not indicated they would agree and pass such legislation.

“I am a devout public servant. You know that. I am also a capitalist. And I know the limitations of government,” Harris said.

Whitaker also questioned her on several changing positions including once supporting a ban on fracking, looser immigration policies at the border and the concept of Medicare For All, which she stood by when running for the Democratic nomination in 2020. 

Whitaker asked if Harris thought that was one reason that Americans say they don’t know her.

“In the last four years I have been vice president of the United States. And I have been traveling our country. And I have been listening to folks and seeking what is possible in terms of common ground. I believe in building consensus. We are a diverse people,” Harris said.

She added, “Geographically, regionally, in terms of where we are in our backgrounds. And what the American people do want is that we have leaders who can build consensus. Where we can figure out compromise and understand it’s not a bad thing, as long as you don’t compromise your values, to find common-sense solutions.”

In past interviews, Harris has responded to similar questions by saying her “values” have not changed on issues like fracking. Her previous opposition to fracking, which her campaign now says it no longer supports, will matter in a critical state like Pennsylvania, where fracking is an important industry.

On the issue of immigration, Whitaker noted that President Biden’s recent crack down on asylum seekers has led to a decrease in illegal border crossings after those numbers quadrupled compared to the Trump administration. Whitaker then asked why the administration didn’t take those steps three years ago.

The vice president responded that the first bill the Biden administration proposed to Congress was to fix the immigration system, but it was not taken up. Then she highlighted that Trump had a hand in tanking a border proposal negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators earlier this year.

“But we need Congress to be able to act to actually fix the problem,” Harris replied when Whitaker continued to ask about why Biden didn’t step in to curb the influx of migrants sooner.

Harris is on a media blitz this week, where on Tuesday she will appear on “The View” and Howard Stern’s Sirius XM show.

She has faced widespread criticism for not sitting for more tough interviews, in particular by Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). In August, Harris was interviewed by CNN, alongside her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. She was interviewed by MSNBC last month.

Trump declined CBS News’s offer to participate in the program’s traditional interviews it has with presidential candidates ahead of the election.