BREAKING: Kamala blames Trump for border crisis and economy, Walz blames stolen valor on bad grammar in new CNN interview

Vice President Kamala Harris sat for her first interview since becoming her party's nominee for president. With barely two months until election day, 68 days, to be exact, Harris spoke to CNN's Dana Bash in Georgia and took questions on a range of topics. Even so, her answers lacked in substance and were rich in rhetoric. On Donald Trump's classic issue, the border, Harris blamed him for the record numbers of illegal immigration her administration has overseen since taking office in 2021.

Her running mate sat by her side and answered nearly as many questions as Harris, taking up about half of the interview time.

Harris has been in the White House as second-in-command since innauguration day in January 2021. She was asked about several positions where she appears to have changed her views, such as on fracking, immigration, and economic concerns. In response, Harris said her "values have not changed."

"What would you do on day one in the White House?" Bash asked as the first question out of the gate. 

Harris gave her response, saying "Well, there are a number of things I will tell you, first and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class. When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward, in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by, by hope and by optimism. I think, sadly, in the last decade, we have had in the former president someone who is really been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans, really dividing our nation, and I think people are ready to turn the page on that."

This led Bash to repeat her question, and Harris spoke to her plans for the economy. "Day one, it's going to be about one implementing my plan for what I call an opportunity economy. I've already laid out a number of proposals in that regard, which include what we're going to do to bring down the cost of everyday goods, what we're going to do to invest in America's small businesses, what we're going to do to invest in families, for example, extending the child tax credit to $6,000 for families for the first year of their child's life, to help them buy a car seat, to help them buy baby clothes, a crib. There's the work that we're going to do that is about investing in the American family around affordable housing a big issue in our country right now. So there are a number of things on day one."

"What about you?" Bash asked running mate Tim Walz, who for some reason joined her in this interview. 

Walz said that he's "excited about this agenda" and about "the idea of inspiring America to what can be" before explaining his record as Minnesota's governor.

Walz was also pressed on his stolen valor controversy. He tried to pivot by explaining that he was talking about shool shootings, and blamed "bad grammar" for his claim that he carried a weapon in war. 

"One of your campaign themes is, we're not going back," Bash said, teeing up her second question. "But I wonder what you say to voters who do want to go back when it comes to the economy, specifically because their groceries were less expensive, housing was more affordable. When Donald Trump was President."

Harris said that when she and Joe Biden took office, the economy was in bad shape due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and that this was due to "mismanagement" by the Trump administration. She said when she came into office, her goal was to "rescue America."

"We know that we have inflation at under 3% a lot of our policies have led to the reality that America recovered faster than any wealthy nation around the world," Harris said, before detailing her economic plans, which have been roundly mocked be economists and pundits on both sides of the political aisle.

Bash asked a question that's been on the minds of many voters, "So you have been vice president for three and a half years, the steps that you're talking about now, why haven't you done them already?"

Harris spoke about Medicare costs and prescription drugs as well as gaining back the jobs that were lost during the pandemic. She also claimed that she and Biden had done a great deal to "improve the supply chain so we're not relying on foreign governments to supply American families with their basic needs. I'll say that that's good work. There's more to do, but that's good work."

"Do you still want to ban fracking?" Bash asked.

"No," Harris said unequivocally. When pressed, she could not say exactly when or why she changed her mind. In 2019, as Bash pointed out, Harris was very gungho about banning fracking outright. Now, she says she would not ban the mining practice.

Harris did speak about her passion for climate change legislation, saying "I think the the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed. You mentioned the green New Deal. I have always believed, and I worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time. We did that with the Inflation Reduction Act."

"As Vice President," Bash asked, "you were tasked with addressing the root causes of migration in southern countries and northern part of Central America, northern part of Central America that deals with that affects the southern border of the US. During the Biden Harris administration, there were record numbers of illegal border crossings. Why did the Biden Harris administration wait three and a half years to implement sweeping asylum restrictions?"

Harris was tasked by Biden in March 2021 with border security and the root causes of migration. Since then, she has tried to distance herself from that job as the failures have mounted.

"Well, first of all, the root causes," Harris said. "Work that I did as Vice President, that I was asked to do by the president has actually resulted in a number of benefits, including historic investments by American businesses in that region. The number of immigrants coming from that region has actually reduced since we began that work. But I will say this, that Joe Biden and I and our administration worked with members of the United States Congress on an immigration issue that is very significant to the American people and to our security, which is the border. And through bipartisan work, including some of the most conservative members of the United States Congress, a bill was crafted which we supported, which I support, and Donald Trump a word of this bill that would have contributed to securing our border, and because he believes that it would not have helped him politically, he told his folks in Congress, don't put it forward.

"He killed the bill," Harris continued, "a border security bill, that would have put 1,500 more on the border. And let me tell you something, the Border Patrol endorsed the bill, and I'm sure, and I'm sure, in large part because they knew they were working around the clock and 1,500 more agents would help them, that bill would have allowed us to increase seizures of fentanyl. Ask any community in America that has been devastated by fentanyl passing that bill would have done to address their concern and a pain that they you marry in. So you would push that legislation again. I just want to push it. I will make sure that it comes to my desk and I would sign it."

"Just one other question about something that you said in 2019 when you first ran, there was a debate. You raised your hand when asked whether or not the border should be decriminalized. Do you still believe that?" Bash asked.

"I believe there should be consequences," Harris said. "We have laws that have to be followed and enforced that address and people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequence. And let's be clear in this I'm the only person who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who trafficking guns, drugs and human beings. I'm the only person in this race who actually served a border state as attorney general to enforce our laws, and I would enforce our laws as president going forward."

"Will you appoint a Republican to your cabinet?" She was asked.

"Yes, I would," she said, noting that she didn't have anyone particular in mind, "I got 68 days to go with this election, so I'm not putting the cart before the horse, but I would, I think, I think it's really important. I I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think 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."