6 Takeaways From Harris Interview on NBC

Harris called for Americans to ’turn the page' by electing her as president and faced pointed questions on abortion and a potential pardon for Trump.

Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a moderated conversation with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (out of frame) at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, Wis., on Oct. 21, 2024. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris sat for an interview on NBC News on Oct. 22, in which she was asked about her positions on the economy, gender, and a potential Trump pardon and fielded pointed questions on abortion and her forthrightness with the American people about the state of President Joe Biden’s health.

The 22-minute conversation with NBC’s Hallie Jackson was Harris’s third interview on a major network since accepting the Democratic nomination for president on Aug. 5. The vice president appeared on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Oct. 7 and was interviewed on Fox News on Oct. 17.

Here are the takeaways from this most recent interview.

Position on Economy

At the outset of the interview, Harris was questioned by NBC’s Jackson about the state of the economy.

Citing an NBC poll, Jackson said that “more voters think that the Biden administration policies have hurt them rather than help them.”

“And I wonder, are the last four years an obstacle to you in this race?” she asked.

Harris said that if elected, her administration “will not be a continuation of the Biden administration.”

Harris said that she intends to bring down the price of groceries by “dealing with price gouging.” In her response, Harris did not address the high level of inflation in recent years, which has led to price increases across the board.

On housing, Harris said she seeks to create incentives for home builders to “build millions of new homes and housing units so we can bring down the cost.” She also reiterated her plan to provide first-time homeowners a down payment of $25,000. Harris did not elaborate on which incentives would be used to incentivize homebuilding.

When asked by Jackson why former President Donald Trump is leading on the issue of the economy with voters, Harris said that she has to earn people’s vote and offer “them what objective analysts have shown to be the contrast between me and Donald Trump.”

Additionally, Harris said that she favors a national minimum wage of at least $15 per hour.

Trump has campaigned on increasing tariffs to spur domestic manufacturing, decreasing the cost of energy by increasing domestic oil production, and eliminating tax on tips and overtime.

Gender Not an Issue in the Race

“Fewer men support you right now than they did President Biden,” Jackson told Harris. “Some of your allies have suggested there’s sexism at play. I wonder, do you think there is sexism at play here?”

Harris replied that she believes that Americans are ready to turn the page and are ready for a female president. Although Harris is only the second woman to receive a major party nomination for the presidency, she rebuffed Jackson’s assertion that she has been reluctant to comment on her gender.

An August poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal indicates a widening gender gap in this election, with men preferring Trump by a margin of 10 percentage points while women support Harris by a margin of 13 points.

Despite that divide, Harris said sexism is not affecting her candidacy.

“The experience that I am having is one in which it is clear that regardless of someone’s gender, you want to know that their president has a plan to lower cost, that their president has a plan to secure America in the context of our position around the world,” she said.

Won’t Discuss Pardon for Trump

Although Trump has not been convicted of a federal crime, Jackson asked whether Harris would consider a pardon for the former president if she were elected.

“Is there any part of you that subscribes to the argument that has been made in the past that a pardon could help bring America together, could help you unify the country and move them, move on?” Jackson asked.

“I’m not going to get into those hypotheticals. I’m focused on the next 14 days,” Harris responded.

Jackson then asked whether Harris thought a pardon could help bring America together.

Harris replied: “Let me tell you what’s going to help us move on. I get elected president of the United States.”

No Religious Exemption on Abortion

Harris has campaigned on abortion access and frequently said she favors the reinstatement of the terms of Roe v. Wade through legislation.

Jackson pointed out that such legislation may not be possible if Democrats do not control Congress and asked what concessions Harris might consider in negotiating with Republicans.

“Religious exemptions, for example, is that something that you would consider?” Jackson asked.

“I don’t think we should be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body,” Harris said, who later added that the issue of women having access to abortions is “non-negotiable.”

A May Pew Research Center poll found that 63 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases and that 36 percent say it should be illegal in all or most cases.

(L–R) First lady Jill Biden, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff join hands at a rally in Manassas, Va., on Jan. 23, 2024. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Gender Transition Procedures

Harris in the interview was pressed several times about her position on whether “transgender Americans should have access to gender-affirming care in this country.”

While running for president, Harris has refrained from taking a strong position on the issue, with the issues page on her website not stating her position on the issue of transgenderism. When asked about the issue on Fox News last week, Harris said she would follow the law.

In the NBC interview, Harris again said she would follow the law, without elaborating on her position on the issue.

“I believe that people, as our law states, even on this issue about federal law, that that is a decision that doctors will make in terms of what is medically necessary,“ Harris said. ”I’m not going to put myself in the position of a doctor.”

“It sounds like what you’re saying is there should be something between trans Americans and their doctors? It feels like that’s a long way from ‘we see you and we love you,’ which was your message to trans Americans in May?” Jackson pressed Harris.

“I believe that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, period, and should not be vilified for who they are, and should not be bullied for who they are,” Harris said. “And that is a true statement for me my entire career. And that has not changed.”

Stands by Statements on Biden’s Health

The most pointed exchange came when Jackson asked Harris if she had been completely truthful about Biden’s mental acuity in the days before he withdrew from the presidential race.

“Can you say that you were honest with the American people about what you saw in those moments with President Biden, as you were with him again and again, repeatedly in that time?” Jackson asked.

“Biden is an extremely accomplished, experienced, and capable [person] in every way that anyone would want if they’re president,” Harris said.

President Joe Biden (R) and former President Donald Trump participate in a presidential debate at the CNN Studios in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Pressed about whether she had seen the hesitancy in speech and apparent loss of train of thought that Biden displayed during his June 30 debate with Trump, Harris said: “It was a bad debate. People have bad debates.”

“It’s a judgment question, that’s why I ask,” Jackson said. “Can the American people trust you in these moments, even when it’s maybe uncomfortable for Americans to have to level with Americans in that way?”

The vice president responded by praising Biden’s prowess as a leader in handling international crises.