Vice President Kamala Harris indicated in a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Monday night that she would not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin about an end to the war with Ukraine, without Ukraine being part of the conversation.
“There will be no success in ending that war without Ukraine and the U.N. Charter participating in what that success looks like,” Harris said. “Ukraine must have a say in the future of Ukraine.”
The war in Ukraine was just one of the many topics that came up when Harris sat down for the wide-ranging interview with CBS News’ veteran news magazine show. She also addressed her rival in the presidential election, former President Donald Trump, not appearing on the show, despite being given the opportunity.
“If he is not gonna give your viewers the ability to have a meaningful, thoughtful conversation, question and answer with you, then watch his rallies,” Harris told correspondent Bill Whitaker, who conducted the interview. “You’re gonna hear conversations that are about himself and all of his personal grievances. And what you will not hear is anything about you, the listener. You will not hear about how he is gonna try to bring the country together, find common ground. And, Bill, that is why I believe in my soul and heart, the American people are ready to turn the page.”
Harris was also asked about one of her main talking points during the campaign – improving the economy, and Whitaker asked how she believed she could get those plans passed in the GOP-controlled Congress.
“You know, 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,” the vice president responded.
The “60 Minutes” interview, which aired in full Monday night, is the second time in recent weeks Harris has been asked to describe how she would fund her policies.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the media before boarding Air Force Two after assessing the Hurricane Helene recovery response in North Carolina on October 5, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle asked her in an interview last month, “If you can’t raise corporate taxes, or if GOP takes control of the Senate, where do you get the money to do that?”
“Well, but we’re going to have to raise corporate taxes. And we’re going to have to raise — we’re going to have to make sure that the biggest corporations and billionaires pay their fair share,” answered Harris.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a rally at the Dort Financial Center on October 04, 2024 in Flint, Michigan.
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The vice president speaks often about her economic plans — a key voter issue in the election — while on the campaign trail, too. Her plans are geared toward helping working-class Americans as she tries to gain ground on an issue, which surveys suggest former President Donald Trump is winning.
In an economics-focused speech last month in Pittsburgh, Harris touted a “pragmatic” vision for the economy, saying she would be “grounded in my fundamental values of fairness, dignity and opportunity.”
Harris, though, is likely to face continuing questions about her plans to fund her ideas.
In the interview, Whitaker challenged Harris on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is “listening” to the Biden administration’s urges to defuse tensions in the Middle East.
“Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region,” Harris said.
Asked if the United States has “a real close ally in Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Harris responded, “I think, with all due respect, the better question is: do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes.”
Harris was also asked about being a gun owner, and she revealed the type of weapon she owns.
“I have a Glock, and I’ve had it for quite some time. And I mean, look, Bill, my background is in law enforcement, and so there you go,” she said.
Whitaker then asked Harris if she had fired it.
“Of course I have. At a shooting range. Yes, of course I have,” she said.
Harris’ “60 Minutes” interview is part of a flurry of interviews she has set for this week, including with “The View,” “The Howard Stern Show” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a senior campaign official said.
Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, also has a media blitz planned this week with stops at “Jimmy Kimmel Live” as well as being part of the “60 Minutes” interview.
During the interview, Whitaker asked Walz to address some of his false statements that have resurfaced in the time since he’s been selected as Harris’ running mate.
Whitaker referenced a moment during debate last week, when the governor responded to the statements with the fact he could “be a knucklehead at times.”
“I think folks know who I am,” Walz told Whitaker, pivoting to say that his misstatements were different than Donald Trump’s, who is a “pathological liar.”
“I think they know the difference between someone expressing emotion, telling a story, getting a date wrong, rather than a pathological liar like Donald Trump,” Walz said.
Whitaker pressed Walz, asking if he could be “trusted to tell the truth?”
“Yeah, well, I can. I think I can. I will own up to being a knucklehead at times, but the folks closest to me know that I keep my word,” Walz said.
Both Harris and Walz will spend time campaigning out West this week with stops in Nevada and Arizona, according to the senior campaign official.