Democratic White House nominee Kamala Harris has conducted her inaugural interview with Fox News, engaging in a contentious 25-minute discussion with host Bret Baier on topics such as transgender prisoners, illegal immigration, and President Biden’s mental fitness.
Throughout the interview, the US vice-president and Baier frequently interrupted each other, with Harris notably stating, “I’m in the middle of responding to the point you’re raising and I’d like to finish.”
Harris’s appearance on a network known for its critical stance towards her comes amid polling that indicates a majority of male voters favor her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, ahead of the upcoming election. This gender gap is also impacting her core electoral base, including younger voters, African Americans, and Hispanics.
Conversely, Trump participated in a Fox town hall event on Wednesday, focusing on an all-female audience as he sought to address his own challenges with women voters.
Harris Challenged to Apologize
The interview began with immigration, where Baier played an emotional clip of the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl killed by an illegal migrant who was released from detention. When asked if she should apologize to the families of Americans killed by illegal migrants, Harris expressed her condolences, saying, “I’m so sorry for her loss,” and acknowledging the tragedy of such cases.
Baier questioned Harris about her 2019 position on decriminalizing border crossings, a point on which she has been accused of changing her stance. Harris clarified, “I do not believe in decriminalizing border crossings and I have not done that as vice-president, and I would not do that as president.” She criticized Trump for influencing Republicans in Congress to vote against a border deal, stating, “He preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
Gender Surgery for Prisoners
Harris was also questioned about her past support for taxpayer-funded gender reassignment surgery for prisoners. When asked if she would advocate for such use of taxpayer dollars as president, she stated, “I will follow the law.” She noted that such surgeries were available to prisoners during Trump’s presidency, although the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that no transgender surgeries occurred while Trump was in office. The first two federal inmates to undergo gender reassignment surgery did so in 2022 and 2023.
In 2019, Harris, as a Democratic presidential candidate, had indicated support for ensuring that transgender detainees in prisons and immigration facilities would have access to gender transition treatment, including surgical care. However, her campaign has clarified that this is not part of her 2024 platform.
Harris Attempts to Distance Herself from Biden
When Fox aired a clip from a recent interview in which Harris stated there was “not a thing” she would change about the Biden-Harris administration, she sought to differentiate herself from President Biden. “Let me be very clear, my presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency,” she asserted, without further explanation.
Baier pressed Harris on her assertion that American voters do not want to return to Trump, and whether she believed those who continue to support Trump are “stupid” or “misinformed.” Harris firmly responded, “I would never say that about the American people.”
When questioned about her campaign promise to “turn the page” despite having served as vice-president for over three years, Harris redirected the criticism towards Trump.
Harris Sidesteps Question on Biden’s Mental State
Harris deflected Baier’s questions about Biden’s mental acuity. When asked when she first noticed any decline in Biden’s faculties, Harris emphasized, “Joe Biden, I have watched in from the Oval Office to the Situation Room, and he has the judgment… and experience to do exactly what he has done in making very important decisions on behalf of the American people.” Pressed further, she reiterated, “Joe Biden is not on the ballot, and Donald Trump is.”
