4 takeaways from Harris’s interview on Fox News

Vice President Kamala Harris continued her media blitz on Wednesday evening with a contentious interview on Fox News, her first appearance on the right-leaning network.

The 30-minute interview with chief political reporter Bret Baier started on a tense note, with Baier asking Harris to estimate how many “illegal immigrants” she thought the Biden administration had “released into the country in the last three-and-a-half years.”

As Harris began her answer, Baier repeatedly interrupted her in an attempt to have her provide a hard number.

“I’m in the middle of responding to the point you’re raising,” Harris told Baier. “I’d like to finish.”

From there, the clashes continued. Here are some of the major takeaways from the interview.

Harris denies she wants to decriminalize unauthorized border crossings

During the initial back-and-forth on the subject of immigration and border security, Harris said she did not and does not support decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings into the United States.

“We have a broken immigration system that needs to be repaired,” she told Baier. “I am very clear — as is Tim Walz — that we must support and enforce federal law, and that’s what we will do.”

Harris also went after Trump for opposing a bipartisan border security proposal, saying the former president would rather “run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”

Baier highlighted the cases of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, all young women who were allegedly killed by men who came to the U.S. illegally and who are frequently referenced during Trump rallies.

“Do you owe these families an apology?” Baier asked Harris.

“Those are tragic cases. There’s no question about that,” she responded. “It is also true that if a border security [bill] had actually been passed nine months ago, it would be nine months we would have had more border agents at the border, more support for the folks who are working around the clock trying to hold it all together to ensure that no future harm would occur.”

Harris: ‘I will follow the law’ on gender-affirming surgery for transgender inmates

During one exchange, Baier played portions of a Trump campaign ad that sharply criticizes Harris over her past support for using taxpayer funds for gender-affirming surgery for transgender inmates, including those who are undocumented.

When asked by Baier if she still supported the idea, Harris said, “I will follow the law.”

“It’s actually a law Donald Trump followed,” she added. “Under Donald Trump’s administration, these surgeries were available to — on a medically necessary basis — to people in the federal prison system. And I think that ad from the Trump campaign is a little bit of throwing stones when you live in a glass house.”

The federal law has been in effect since February 2018. While the Trump administration stiffened treatment guidelines previously set by the Obama administration for who is eligible for transgender surgery, it remained available during Trump’s presidency.

Baier pointed out that “Trump aides” have said that no surgeries happened during his presidency, which is true — the first operation was in 2022. Still, Harris shot back that Trump was trying to scare voters with the ad.

“Trump spent $20 million on those ads trying to create a sense of fear in the voters because he actually has no plan in this election that is about focusing on the needs of the American people,” Harris said.

Harris calls out Baier for playing misleading Trump clip

After mentioning that Trump and Harris are neck and neck in the polls, Baier asked Harris whether she thinks the 50% of Americans siding with Trump are “misguided” or “stupid.”

“I would never say that about the American people,” Harris replied. “In fact, if you listen to Donald Trump, if you watch any of his rallies, he’s the one who tends to demean and belittle and diminish the American people. He’s the one who talks about an ‘enemy within.’”

Baier followed up, saying Fox News host Harris Faulkner asked Trump about that particular quote during a town hall that aired on the network earlier Wednesday. He then played a clip of Trump responding to Faulkner, saying, “I’m not threatening anybody.”

“Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect: That clip is not what he has been saying about the ‘enemy within’ that he has repeated when he is speaking about the American people,” Harris said after the video played. “That’s not what you just showed.”

“He has repeated it many times, and you and I both know that,” she continued. “You and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military on the American people.”

A Harris presidency ‘will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s’

Baier played clips from two of Harris’s recent interviews where she’s asked about what she’ll do differently from the Biden administration, including an Oct. 8 interview on The View during which she responded, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”

On Wednesday, Harris was more forceful in distancing herself from Biden.

“Let me be very clear: My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency,” Harris told Baier. “Like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas. I represent a new generation of leadership.”

Baier also pressed Harris about her previous advocacy for Biden’s mental fitness for office before he ended his reelection campaign. Harris reiterated that Biden has the “judgment” and “experience” to be president and then turned the question around to be about Trump.

“Joe Biden is not on the ballot, Donald Trump is,” she said. “He’s unfit to serve. He’s unstable. He’s dangerous. And people are exhausted.”