US Vice President Kamala Harris faced a controversial interview on Fox News on Wednesday in which she sparred with host Bret Baier about immigration and her credibility as a candidate for change.

The interview was her first foray into the network, popular with conservative viewers, as she hopes to expand her reach among Republican-leaning voters less than three weeks before the Nov. 5 election.

What happened in the interview?

Harris’ nearly 30-minute conversation with Baier was lively, with the two talking on and off.

At one point, Baier continued talking as Harris tried to respond to his challenges on immigration. Harris said: “May I please finish? …You must please let me finish.”

In another heated moment, pushing back against Baier’s line of questioning, the Democratic nominee for the White House said, “I would be happy if we could have a conversation based on a full assessment of the facts.”

While Harris repeatedly tried to steer the conversation toward an attack on former US President Donald Trump, she also talked about what a future presidency of her own might look like.

Just a week after saying she couldn’t name a step by US President Joe Biden that she would have done differently, Harris declared: “My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency.”

“Like every new president who takes office, I will bring my life and professional experiences as well as fresh and new ideas.”

What did Harris say about her opponent?

When Harris was asked to clarify her claim that she wanted to “turn the page,” she said her campaign was about “putting behind us the last decade in which we were burdened with the rhetoric of Donald Trump.” .

“People are exhausted by someone who poses as a leader and spends all his time demeaning and dwelling on personal grievances,” she said, adding: “He is not stable.”

On immigration – a policy area where Harris is considered at risk – she expressed regret over the deaths of women killed by people who were arrested during the Biden administration and then released after entering the U.S. illegally had entered.

However, she criticized Trump for his role in blocking a bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year that would have increased border funding.

She said Trump led lawmakers to reject the bill because “he preferred to address a problem rather than solve a problem.”

What DW’s USA correspondent thought

DW Washington correspondent Janelle Dumalaon said almost the first third of the interview was marked by “strong back-and-forth on the issue of immigration,” with Fox host Brett Baier trying to unsettle Kamala Harris on what was supposed to be her weakest topic.

“Harris repeatedly tried, with limited success, to point out that it was former President Donald Trump who stood in the way of a bipartisan border bill that would have helped address high levels of irregular immigration.”

“At times the interview felt like an assertiveness contest, with Baier repeatedly talking over the vice president as she struggled to make her voice heard.

Dumalaon said Harris’ purpose was to “introduce the broad outlines of her short speech to those who may not have heard it.”

She said Harris appeared to have calculated that it was worth appealing to all undecided stock viewers, “however few they may be,” and that she might even get “bonus points” for showing them toughness in a controversial situation can.

rc/ (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)