Kamala Harris addresses migration and the Middle East in a CNN interview

Vice President Kamala Harris and her vice-presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, gave their first joint interview to CNN. The U.S. presidential candidate spoke about her future plans and summarized her work as vice president in Joe Biden's administration.

One of the topics Dana Bash from CNN addressed was migration. The journalist emphasized that during the Biden administration, a record number of illegal border crossings were noted.

Harris argued that her work in this area focused on the root causes of migration. "Laws that have to be followed and enforced that address and deal with people who cross the border illegally (...) And let’s be clear, in this race, I’m the only person who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who traffic in guns, drugs, and human beings," she commented.

Asked about the Middle East conflict, Harris acknowledged that Israel had the right to defend itself after October 7, 2023. In the past, Harris criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct in the war more sharply than President Biden's. In the CNN interview, she said she is "unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself, and that’s not going to change." However, she noted that the way Israel conducts itself matters, and decidedly too many Palestinians have been killed.

The question about the war in the Gaza Strip was the only foreign policy question in the approximately 30-minute interview. Harris appealed for a ceasefire and an agreement to release the hostages. She added that the war must end.

Kamala Harris explained how she learned that Joe Biden was retiring from his candidacy. She revealed that she was spending time with her family when the phone rang. "It was Joe Biden, and he told me what he had decided to do. And I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ And he said, ‘Yes,’" she recalled.

"I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender," Harris argued at the end.