Economy, Gaza, and political civility: 5 takeaways from Kamala Harris’ interview with NABJ

Economy, Gaza, and political civility: 5 takeaways from Kamala Harris’ interview with NABJ Show Caption Hide Caption Harris checked on Trump following a second assassination attempt Vice president Kamala Harris says she called to check on Donald Trump after the second attempt on his life. Trying to assuage criticism over her lack of interviews, Vice President Kamala Harris took questions from the National Association of Black Journalists on Tuesday on issues ranging from the economy to Trump’s claims of migrant pet-eating. In the Philadelphia interview, she responded to questions from journalists representing POLITICO, the Grio and NPR on the economy, Israel’s war with Hamas and her call with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday — while also needling the Republican nominee and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, for attacks on Haitian migrants. Harris’ interview with the group came nearly two months after Trump held his own controversial – and combative – interview with Black journalists at the organization’s national conference. Harris did not directly answer a question then about whether Americans were better off four years ago when Trump was still president. “Four years ago, when we came in, we came in during the worst unemployment since the Great Depression,” she said. She outlined the Biden administration’s actions to bring down the unemployment rate and her recent economic plan, which includes giving first time home buyers a $25,000 down payment assistance and expanding the child tax credit. Yes,” she said. False rumors about Haitian migrants Harris slammed Trump and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, for amplifying false rumors that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, calling their comments “a crying shame.” But she had a warning for her Republican opponents: be more careful with words on the national stage. Trump and Vance’s comments spreading the false rumor have led to threatening calls, bomb threats, and evacuations of public buildings in Springfield, Ohio. “When you have that microphone in front of you, you really ought to understand at a very deep level how much your words have meaning,” Harris said. “I learned at a very young stage in my career that the meaning of my words could impact whether somebody was free or in prison.” Middle East peace within reach Harris said she still believes that a two-state solution to the longstanding conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is still possible. Harris said she’s had private and direct conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others about how to end the war. “But ultimately, the thing that is going to unlock everything else in that region is getting this deal done,” Harris said. Gun violence prevention Harris expanded on her views on gun safety laws, noting as she did in the debate that she owns a weapon, after interviewer Tonya Mosley, co-host of NPR’s “Fresh Air” and its “Truth Be Told” asked her how she’d prevent handgun violence. “We’re not trying to take anybody’s guns away from them, but we do need an assault weapons ban,” Harris replied. “It’s just reasonable you might want to know before someone can buy a lethal weapon if they’ve been found by a court to be a danger to themselves or others,” Harris said. Pressed by Mosley move beyond her talking points, Harris said she once protested at a firearms show and supports closing the so-called gun show loophole. Harris said more financial resources should be put into community based intervention and that the issue should be prioritized “There are very few solutions that we haven’t thought of,” she said. Civility in politics At their September presidential debate, Harris made a beeline for Trump. She walked straight past her lectern, over to the former president and extended her hand. The former president and Harris spoke by phone on Tuesday after the Secret Service thwarted a second assassination attempt on Trump, the sitting vice president said at NABJ. “I checked on him to see if he was okay,” she said. Those three encounters, all within the last week, plus a Monday phone call between Trump and President Joe Biden were rare moments of civility in what has been a nasty campaign season and amid rising political violence. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/09/17/kamala-harris-nabj-economy-donald-trump-gaza/75242359007/