Kamala Harris CNN interview: Main takeaways

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday sat down for her first major television interview of her presidential campaign with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Just five weeks ago, President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, and the interview came as voters are still trying to learn more about the Democratic ticket under an unusually compressed time frame. 

In the interview, Harris addressed several things – including changes in her policies over the years. Harris sought to show that she had adopted more moderate positions on issues that Republicans argue are extreme, while Walz defended past misstatements about his biography.

Here are some of the main takeaways from the interview:

Harris defends shifting from some liberal positions

Harris defended shifting away from some of her more liberal positions, but insisted her "values have not changed" even as she is "seeking consensus."

Sitting beside Walz, Harris was asked specifically about her reversals on banning fracking and decriminalizing illegal border crossings, positions she took during her last run for president. 

She confirmed she does not want to ban fracking, an energy extraction process key to the economy of swing-state Pennsylvania, and said there "should be consequence" for people who cross the border without permission.

"I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed," Harris said.

She went on to say: "I believe it is important to build consensus. It is important to find a common place of understanding where we can actually solve the problem."

How Harris learned Biden was dropping out

In the interview, Harris explained that on Sunday, July 21, she answered the phone at the vice-presidential residence in Washington. Family was visiting, including her 6- and 8-year-old nieces. They had pancakes and bacon for breakfast and were sitting down to work on a puzzle when the phone rang.

It was Biden and Harris said, "He told me what he had decided to do and ... I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, ‘Yes,’ and that’s how I learned about it."

Harris said she didn’t ask Biden to endorse her because "he was very clear that he was going to endorse me."

Harris on immigration, border bill

Harris defended the administration’s record on the southern border and immigration, noting that she was tasked with trying to address the "root causes" in other countries that were driving the border crossings.

"We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences," Harris said.

She also noted that border crossings are down from their peaks and stressed that there was a bipartisan deal to strengthen border security that Trump, her Republican opponent, killed "because he believes that it would not have helped him politically." Harris said she would sign the bipartisan deal if she is elected and it passes Congress.

RELATED: Immigration and Border Security: Harris vs. Trump

Harris reiterates her position on Israel’s war in Gaza

When asked about Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, Harris said she is "unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself." 

However, Harris also reiterated what she’s said for months – that civilian deaths are too high amid the fighting.

"Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed, and we have got to get a deal done," the vice president said of the Biden administration’s efforts to help broker a cease-fire to temporarily end the fighting in Gaza, adding, "This war must end."

Harris also promised to "work toward a two-state solution," a policy that is also consistent with the Biden administration.

Harris on Trump’s comments about her race: ‘Next question, please’

Harris chose not to dignify former President Donald Trump’s claim that the multicultural Democrat only recently began identifying as Black.

"Same old tired playbook," Harris said. "Next question, please."

Harris’ mother was born in India and her father in Jamaica. She has long embraced the totality of her identity and graduated from Howard University, a historically Black institution.

Harris on growing US economy, middle-class support

When asked about voters who want prices to go back to 2019 levels, when Trump was in office, Harris stressed job growth and inflation being under 3% annually.

But she also acknowledged that "the American people know" prices are too high. 

The Democratic nominee said she would tackle the issue of possible price gouging by supermarkets, expand the child tax credit and offer $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers to help deal with costs.

Harris reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the middle class, saying, "First and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to strengthen and support the middle class."

Walz responds to criticism of former false statements

CNN’s Dana Bash asked Walz about several misstatements of fact in his record, starting with how he has described his 24 years of service in the National Guard.

In a 2018 video clip that the Harris-Walz campaign once circulated, Walz spoke out about gun violence and said, "We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at."

Critics say Walz portrayed himself as someone who spent time in a combat zone. But a campaign spokesperson said he misspoke.

Walz replied that he was "incredibly proud" of his National Guard service.

"My record speaks for itself, but I think people are coming to get to know me. I speak like they do. I speak candidly, I wear my emotions on my sleeves, and I speak especially passionately about our children being shot in schools ... I think people know me. They know who I am. They know where my heart is," he said.

Asked about statements that appeared to indicate that he and his wife conceived their children with in vitro fertilization when they in fact used a less controversial fertility treatment, he said he believes most Americans get that it’s the Trump campaign that’s splitting hairs.

But Walz did not address Bash’s question about false statements that his staffers made in his first congressional campaign in 2006 about his arrest for drunken driving in 1995. The staffers denied that he was driving drunk, but a transcript of his court appearances shows that he and his attorney acknowledged that he was.