Kamala Harris Interview On Fox News

Madam Vice President, thank you for the time.

Thank you. It’s good to be with you, Bret.

Voters tell pollsters all over the country and here in Pennsylvania that immigration is one of the key issues that they’re looking at this election and specifically the influx of illegal immigrants from more than 150 countries. How many illegal immigrants would you estimate your administration has released into the country over the last three-and-half years?

Well, I’m glad you raised the issue of immigration because I agree with you. It is a topic of discussion that people want to rightly have and you know what I’m going to talk about right now, which is-

Yeah, but just a number. Do you think’s 1 million? 3 million?

Bret, let’s just get to the point. Okay. The point is that we have a broken immigration system that needs to be repaired.

Your Homeland Security secretary said that 85% of apprehensions-

But I’m not finished, I’m not finished. We have an immigration system-

It’s a rough estimate of 6 million-

… that needs to be…

… people have been released into the country. And let me just finish. I’ll get to the question, I promise you.

I was beginning to answer.

And when you came into office, your administration immediately reversed a number of Trump border policies, most significantly, the policy that required illegal immigrants to be detained through deportation either in the US or in Mexico. And you switched that policy, they were released from custody awaiting trial. So instead, included in those were a large number of single men, adult men who went on to commit heinous crimes. So looking back, do you regret the decision to terminate remain in Mexico at the beginning of your administration?

At the beginning of our administration, within practically hours of taking the oath, the first bill that we offered Congress, before we worked on infrastructure, before the Inflation Reduction Act, before the Chips and Science Act, before the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first bill, practically within hours of taking the oath, was a bill to fix our immigration system.

Yes, ma’am. It was called the US Citizenship Act of 2021.

Exactly.

It was essentially a pathway to citizenship for the-

May I please finish?

Yes, ma’am.

May I finish responding please?

But here, but this-

But you have to let me finish, please.

You had the White House and the House and the Senate and they didn’t bring up that bill.

I’m in the middle responding to the point you’re raising.

Okay.

And I’d like to finish.

Yes, ma’am.

We recognized from day one that to the point of this being your first question, it is a priority for us as a nation and for the American people. And our focus has been on fixing a problem. And from day one then, we have done a number of things, including to address our asylum system and put more resources, getting more judges, what we needed to do to tighten up penalties and increase penalties for illegal crossings, what we needed to do to deal with points of entry between border entry points. That’s the work we did.

(03:07)
And we worked on supporting what was a bipartisan effort, including some of the most conservative members of the United States Congress, to actually strengthen the border. That border bill would have put 1,500 more border agents at the border, which is why I believe the border patrol agents supported the bill. It would’ve allowed us to stem the flow of fentanyl coming into the United States, which is a scourge affecting people of every background, every geographic location in our country, killing people. It would’ve allowed us to put more resources into prosecuting transnational criminal organizations, which I have done-

Yes, ma’am

… as the attorney general, former attorney general of a border state.

Madam Vice President, a couple things.

Prosecuted trafficking of drugs, guns, and human beings. And Donald Trump-

Six Democrats-

But let me just finish. And Donald Trump-

Six Democrats voted against that bill.

… learned about that bill and told them to kill it because he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem. And in this election, this is rightly a discussion that the American people want to have and what they want are solutions and they want a president of the United States who’s not playing political games with the issue-

I hear you.

… but actually is focused on fixing it.

Six Democrats voted against that bill. It would’ve allowed 1.8 million illegal immigrants into the country a year. A lot of conservatives had a problem with it. These are the six Democrats. But more importantly, back to the original premise, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, they are young women who were brutally assaulted and killed by some of the men who were released at the beginning of the administration, well before a negotiated bipartisan bill. Former President Clinton actually referred to Laken Riley Sunday, campaigning for you in Georgia, saying if those men had been properly vetted, Laken Riley probably would not have been killed.

(04:54)
So it wouldn’t have happened. This is well before any negotiation. This is well before Donald Trump got involved in the politics. This is a specific policy decision by your administration to release these men into the country. So what I’m saying to you, do you-

No, no, Bret. I think it’s really-

… owe those families an apology?

Let me just say, first of all, those are tragic cases. There’s no question about that. There is no question about that and I can’t imagine the pain that the families of those victims have experienced for a loss that should not have occurred. So that is true. It is also true that if a border security had actually been passed nine months ago, it would be nine months that we would’ve had more border agents at the border, more support for the folks who are working around the clock trying to hold it all together-

Madam Vice President-

… to ensure that no future harm would occur. And this election in 20 days will determine whether we have a president of the United States who actually cares more about fixing a problem even if it is not to their political advantage in an election, because there was a solution, Bret.

Madam Vice President, it was a policy decision in the early part of your administration. I will let one of the mothers talk about it. Take a listen.

Because of the Biden-Harris administration open border policy’s catch and release, they were enrolled in the alternatives to detention program. This meant that they were released into the United States. It was not even a full three weeks later that they would take my daughter, Jocelyn Nungaray’s life. I believe the Biden-Harris administration open border policies are responsible for the death of my daughter.

That’s the early days. So do you owe them an apology? Is what I’m saying.

I will tell you that I am so sorry for her loss. I’m so sorry for her loss, sincerely. But let’s talk about what is happening right now with an individual who does not want to participate in solutions. Let’s talk about that as well, Bret.

But do you want to answer her?

In all fairness. I told you I feel awful for what she and her family have experienced.

During that time, you said repeatedly that the border was secure. When in your mind did it start becoming a crisis?

I think we’ve had a broken immigration system transcending, by the way, Donald Trump’s administration, even before. Let’s all be honest about that. I have no pride in saying that this is a perfect immigration system. I’ve been clear, I think we all are, that it needs to be fixed. We need more…

(07:42)
I was just down at the border, talking with border agents and they will tell you, and I’m sure you probably, I know you investigate and you are a serious journalist, they will tell you we need more judges. We need to process those cases faster. We need the support for those cases that should be prosecuted. They need more resources and Congress ultimately is the only place that that’s going to get fixed, Bret. That’s how the system works.

That’s the premise of this question.

But that’s how the system works.

There were 90 plus executive orders that were rescinded in the first days. Many of those were Trump border policies. I’m not going to stay here because there’s other things to talk about, but you frequently talked to the Border Patrol Union for support of that bipartisan bill and they did. They supported it, but they also just endorsed Donald Trump and said you’ve been “a failure with border security.” Why do you think they said that?

I think they’re frustrated and I get it. They want support. They want support, and that’s what that border security bill would’ve done. These guys down at the border, these men and women, they’re working hard. They’re working around the clock. I get it.

There’s a lot of people that look back at what you said in 2019 when you first ran for president. And there have been changes and you’ve talked about some of them. When it comes to immigration, you supported allowing immigrants in the country illegally to apply for driver’s license, to qualify for free tuition at universities, to be enrolled in free healthcare. Do you still support those things?

Listen, that was five years ago and I’m very clear that I will follow the law. I have made that statement over and over again and as vice president of the United States, that’s exactly what I’ve done, not to mention before.

If that’s the case, you chose a running mate, Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota, who signed those very things into state law. So do you support that?

We are very clear and I am very clear, as is Tim Walz, that we must support and enforce federal law and that is exactly what we will do.

Decriminalizing border crossings, like you said in 2019-

I do not believe in decriminalizing border crossings and I’ve not done that as vice president. I will not do that as president.

So these are evolutions that you’ve had.

Well, let’s be very clear. I’m the only person who’s running for president who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations, from the Sinaloa Cartel, to the Guadalajara Cartel, to people who have trafficked in guns, drugs and human beings. I have spent a significant part of my career going after people who present a threat to the safety of the American people and cross our border with the intent of doing us harm and cross our border illegally. And I will do that work as vice president, I take that work quite seriously.

This is a time when voters, especially here in Pennsylvania, are inundated with commercials and ads. They just want it to stop because it’s every commercial. But many of them add noise, but a few of them seem to break through. This particular one from the Trump campaign has gotten a lot of attention.

Kamala supports taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners.

Surgery.

For prisoners.

For prisoners. Every transgender inmate in the prison system would have access.

So are you still in support of using taxpayer dollars to help prison inmates or detained illegal aliens to transition to another gender?

I will follow the law and it’s a law that Donald Trump actually followed. You’re probably familiar with now it’s a public report that under Donald Trump’s administration, these surgeries were available to, on a medical necessity basis, to people in the federal prison system. And I think frankly, that ad from the Trump campaign is a little bit of like throwing stones when you’re living in a glass house.

The Trump aides say that he never advocated for that prison policy and no gender transition surgeries happened during his presidency.

Well, you got to take responsible for what happened in your administration.

Yeah, no surgeries happened in his presidency.

It’s in black and white.

Would you still advocate for using taxpayer dollars for gender reassignment surgeries?

I would follow the law, just as-

Well, you have a say in as-

… I think Donald Trump would say he did.

You would have a say as president.

Like I said, I think it’s… He 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. Whereas $20 million on that ad, on an issue that, as it relates to the biggest issues that affect the American people, it’s really quite remote. And again, his policy was no different. Look at where we are though.

They say it was different, but let’s, we’ll move on.

On plans for the American people, I’m offering a plan to deal with affordable housing. I’m offering a plan to deal with what we need to do to strengthen small businesses which are the backbone of America’s economy. I am offering a plan that is about taking care of young parents and giving them the support they need. My plans for the economy will strengthen the economy, as have been reviewed by 16 Nobel Laureates, Goldman Sachs, Moody’s, and recently the Wall Street Journal, which have all studied our plans and have indicated my plans for our economy would strengthen our economy. His would make them weaker, would ignite-

Why do you think more people say-

… inflation and invite a recession by the middle of next year. Those are the facts.

Why do you think more people say they trust him on the economy than they trust you?

I think that when you look at an analysis of our plans for what we would do as president of the United States, it has been clear to those who study and understand how economic policy works that moving forward, because I do believe the American people are ready to turn the page on the divisiveness and the type of rhetoric that has come out of Donald Trump, people are ready to chart a new way forward and they want a president who has a plan for the future and a plan that is sound and will strengthen our country. My plan for the economy does exactly that. His plan would be again to give tax cuts to billionaires and the biggest corporations in our country and blow up our deficit.

It’s interesting you said turn the page, Madam Vice President. You were asked on two different shows last week, what, if anything, you would do differently than President Biden? Here’s what you said.

Would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?

There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of… And I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.

Under a Harris administration, what would the major changes be? And what would stay the same?

Sure. Well, I’m obviously not Joe Biden.

I noticed. [inaudible 00:14:35].

So that would be one change in terms of… But also, I think it’s important to say with 28 days to go, I’m not Donald Trump.

So you’re not Joe Biden, you’re not Donald Trump, but nothing comes to mind that you would do differently?

Let me be very clear. My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency. And 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.

(15:09)
I, for example, am someone who has not spent the majority of my career in Washington D.C. I invite ideas, whether it be from the Republicans who are supporting me, who were just on stage with me minutes ago, and the business sector and others who can contribute to the decisions that I make about, for example, my plan for increasing the supply of housing in America and bringing down the cost of housing, addressing the issue of small businesses, which is about working with the private sector to bring more capital and access to capital to our small business leaders, including my plan for a $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time home buyers and for small businesses, extending the tax deduction from $5,000 to $50,000.

We’ve heard a lot about those plans in recent days. Your campaign slogan is a new way forward and it’s time to turn the page. You’ve been vice president for three and a half years, so what are you turning the page from?

Well, first of all, turning the page from the last decade in which we have been burdened with the kind of rhetoric coming from Donald Trump that has been designed and implemented to divide our country and have Americans literally point fingers at each other. Rhetoric and an approach to leadership that suggests that the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we all know, the strength of leadership is based on who you lift up.

But you, Madam Vice President-

The strength of an American president, which is one who understands that the vast majority of us have more in common than what separates us. That is turning the page-

Madam Vice President, more than 70% of people tell pollsters-

That is about turning the page on rhetoric that people are frankly exhausted of, Bret. People are exhausted.

More than 70% of people tell the country is on the wrong track. They say the country is on the wrong track. If it’s on the wrong track, that track follows three and a half years of you being vice president and President Biden being president. That is what they’re saying, 79% of them. Why are they saying that? If you’re turning the page, you’ve been in office for three and a half years.

And Donald Trump has been running for office since-

But you’ve been the person holding the office.

Come on, come on.

Madam Vice President-

You and I both know what I’m talking about. You and I both know what I’m talking about.

I actually don’t. What are you talking about?

What I’m talking about is that over the last decade, people have become-

But you’re the lever of power.

But listen, over the last decade, it is clear to me and certainly the Republicans who are on stage with me, the former chief of staff to the President Donald Trump, former defense secretaries, national security adviser and his vice president, one, that he is unfit to serve, that he is unstable, that he is dangerous, and that people are exhausted with someone who professes to be a leader who spends full-time demeaning and engaging in personal grievances and it being about him instead of-

Madam Vice President-

… instead the American people.

… if that’s the case-

People are tired of that.

If that’s the case, why is half the country supporting him? Why is he beating you in a lot of swing states? Why, if he’s as bad as you say, that half of this country is now supporting this person who could be the 47th president of the United States? Why is that happening?

This is an election for president of the United States. It’s not supposed to be easy.

I know, but it is-

It is not supposed to be a cakewalk for anyone.

So are they misguided, the 50%?

Listen, let-

Are they stupid? What is it?

Oh, God. I would never say that about the American people. And 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, an enemy within, talking about the American people, suggesting he would turn the American military on the American people.

We asked that question to the former president today. Harris Faulkner had a town hall and this is how he responded.

I heard about that. They were saying I was threatening. I’m not threatening anybody. They’re the ones doing the threatening. They do phony investigations. I’ve been investigated more than Alphonse Capone. He was the greatest gangster-

Oh my goodness.

No, it’s true.

All right. [inaudible 00:19:28].

But think of it. It’s called weaponization of government. It’s a terrible thing.

Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect, that clip was not what he has been saying about the enemy within, that he has repeated when he’s speaking about the American people. That’s not what you just showed.

Well, he was asked about that specific-

No, no, no. That’s not what you just showed, in all fairness-

No, no, no.

… and respect to you.

I’m telling you that was the question that we asked him.

You didn’t show that and here’s the bottom line. He has repeated it many times and you and I both know that. And you and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military on the American people. He has talked about going after people who are engaged in peaceful protest. He has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him.

(20:13)
This is a democracy and in a democracy, the president of the United States, in the United States of America should be willing to be able to handle criticism without saying he’d lock people up for doing it. And this is what is at stake, which is why you have someone like the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saying what Mark Milley has said about Donald Trump being a threat to the United States of America.

He’s quoted in the Bob Woodward book that way, yes. Let me ask you this, Madam Vice President.

But let’s not-

You call Donald Trump-

… diminish the significance of that.

You call Donald Trump, he’s misguided. You say now he’s-

He’s unstable.

… unstable.

He is unstable, Bret.

He’s not well, you say he is mentally not stable.

He’s not stable.

Let me ask you this.

And we should all be concerned.

You told many interviewers that Joe Biden was on his game, that ran around circles on his staff. When did you first notice that President Biden’s mental faculties appeared diminished?

Joe Biden, I have watched in from the Oval Office to the situation room, and he has the judgment and experience to do exactly what he has done in making very important decisions on behalf of the American people. Joe Biden-

There were no concerns raised?

Bret, Joe Biden is not on ballot.

I understand, but-

And Donald Trump is-

But you talked about it.

And Donald Trump is.

After George Clooney said within a few minutes of-

And if you watch Donald Trump-

… talking to President Biden at a fundraiser, that he thought this was not the same Joe Biden that we saw on the debate stage.

Donald Trump is on the ballot.

I understand. You met with him at least once a week for three and a half years. You didn’t have any concerns?

I think the American people have a concern about Donald Trump, which is why the people who know him best, including leaders of our national security community, have all spoken out. Even people who worked for him in the Oval Office, worked with him in the situation room, and have said he is unfit and dangerous and should never be president of the United States again, including his former vice president, which is why the job was open for him to choose another running mate. So that is a fact. That is a fact.

Madam Vice President, two more things. You were asked on 60 Minutes about the biggest threat that the world faces, that the US faces. This is what you said.

Which foreign country do you consider to be our greatest adversary?

I think there’s an obvious one in mind, which is Iran. Iran has American blood on their hands. Okay? This attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles. What we need to do to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power, that is one of my highest priorities.

A number of experts thought you would say China, the FBI director had said that, but you said Iran. If that’s the case, what do you say to critics who look at the actions of your administration and say you’re not acting like Iran is the number one threat?

Well, I will tell you most recently, whether it was in April or in October, and then several hours on each occasion, that Iran posed a threat to Israel. I was there, most recently in the situation room in the most recent attack, working with the heads of our military in doing what America must always do to defend and to support Israel in its requirement to defend itself and to give American support, to be able to allow Israel to have the resources to defend itself against attack, including from Iran and Iran’s terrorist proxies in the region.

Right.

And that is-

But those proxies were getting funded by Iran.

And my commitment to that is unyielding and unwavering.

Critics just say that you either relaxed or failed to enforce sanctions on Iran, allowing all of this money to flow into Iran, like billions in oil profits.

But let’s go back to Donald Trump, who-

Hold on, that-

… pulled out of a deal that would’ve actually put Iran in check.

The estimate’s in billions.

And then it was during Donald Trump’s administration that Iran-

… that go towards the Iran regime.

That we had an American military base that was attacked, where American soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries and Donald Trump dismissed them as headaches. Not to mention how Donald Trump has-

Madame Vice President, all of this money-

… treated and talked about-

… that has gone in the past few years-

… America’s military and military service people, calling-

Critics say-

… them suckers and losers.

… that it goes to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthis.

Has diminished the significance-

We’re talking over each other, I apologize.

Well, and I wish-

But you’re not-

I would like that we would have a conversation that is grounded in full assessment of the facts, which includes, I think this interview is supposed to be about the choices that your viewers should be presented about this election and the contrast is important.

Yes, ma’am. And we-

And on this subject of Iran, I am offering what should be an important contrast that is presented for folks to make a decision that they feel-

And there are critics who look at what the administration did and think differently. Madam Vice President, they’re wrapping me very hard here. I hope you got to say what you wanted to say about Donald Trump. There are a lot of things-

There’s more to say. I have much more to say, actually.

There are a lot of things that people want to learn about you and your policies.

Yes,

And that’s why we invited you her.

I invite everyone to go to KamalaHarris.com and you will see that I have 80 pages of policies that are quite comprehensive and should be accessible to anyone who would like to read them. And it includes what I intend to do about affordable housing, what I intend to do about small businesses, what I intend to do to-

And that’s why we invited you here.

… strengthen our economy.

To see where you were in 2019 and where you are now.

To support America’s military and ensure we have the most lethal and best fighting force in the world.

Madam Vice President, they’re giving me a hard wrap here.

Well, I thank you for the time.

I thank you for the time.

It’s good to meet you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

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