Harris’ first interview recap: She’s pragmatic, not progressive

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris campaigns on Aug. 29, 2024, in Savannah, Ga.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris campaigns on Aug. 29, 2024, in Savannah, Ga.

In Kamala Harris’ first interview since becoming her party's nominee, she sat down with CNN’s Dana Bush and staked her flag solidly in the center of the Democratic Party.

On policy. Harris has been accused of abandoning some of the more liberal positions she held when she ran for president in 2019, particularly on the environment and single-payer health care. Harris’ rebuttal was to refocus on the Biden-Harris administration's record. She bragged about decreasing drug prices and that as vice president she “cast the tie-breaking vote that increased leases for fracking,” while also increasing clean energy production with the Inflation Reduction Act. However, she distanced herself from the former president when it came to the economy and immigration.

While her answer might not silence accusations that she is a “flip-flopper,” Harris is betting on pragmatism over progressive idealism. Being open to fracking, ready to crack down on the southern border, and dismissive of Medicare for All are all positions focused on getting elected.

On strategy. In a continuation of what we saw at the Democratic National Convention, Harris presented herself as a “joyful warrior,” betting that Americans are “ready for a new way forward … fueled by hope and by optimism.” Harris also shied away from emphasizing her potential to be the first woman and first woman of color to serve as president, saying instead that she is “the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender.”

Performance review. The interview came amid criticism that she had been avoiding a hard-hitting media interview. This attempt to answer that criticism may have fallen flat. Harris appeared comfortable and articulate, but the interview consisted mostly of soft-ball questions. The real test of Harris’ mettle is yet to come on Sept. 10 when she faces off against Donald Trump on the debate stage.

More from GZERO Media

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during his visit and after a binational council of ministers, in Jacmel, Haiti, on Jan. 22, 2025.
REUTERS/Marckinson Pierre

President Donald Trump ordered a suite of tariffs and visa revocations against Colombian government officials on Sunday after Bogota refused to accept two US military planes carrying deported migrants – and was met with threats of retaliatory tariffs by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Residents of south Lebanon, who were displaced during the war, tried to return to their villages still occupied by Israel despite the expiration of the 60-day ceasefire implementation period. These Lebanese Muslim Shiite women inspect their destroyed house in the southern Lebanese border village of Ayta ash-Shaab after returning to their devastated hamlet.

Marwan Naamani/dpa via Reuters Connect

Israel has opened routes into north Gaza, allowing some 200,000 Palestinians to begin returning home.


Internally displaced civilians from the camps in Munigi and Kibati carry their belongings as they flee following the fight between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Jan. 26, 2025.
REUTERS/Aubin Mukoni

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels on Monday claimed they now control Goma, the largest city in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Marco Rubio speaks after he is sworn in as Secretary of State by U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, on Jan. 21, 2025.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in their first phone call on Friday over the independence of Taiwan. Will this set a bad early tone for US-China relations under President Donald Trump?

- YouTube

The shifting geopolitical landscape and uncertainty surrounding the future of AI have stirred anxiety among those gathered in Davos. Yet, there are glimmers of hope. “The most important thing for me is really to turn the anxiety into action," said Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft.

Migrants line up to leave the United States for Mexico after being deported across the Paso del Norte international border bridge after President Donald Trump promised mass deportation operation, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Jan. 23, 2025.
REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

As Donald Trump begins to roll out his plans for the “largest deportation operation in history,” Mexico, the country with the highest number of unauthorized citizens living in the US — some 4 million people — is preparing to welcome back thousands of deportees. Mexico plans to send anyone from elsewhere back to their home countries.

President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

During his first week in office, Donald Trump took steps to withdraw the US from two major international commitments: the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization. Will this create opportunities for other global powers, not least China, to fill the void?