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Sep 25, 2024

Kamala Harris' First One-On-One Interview Is Raising Eyebrows

Vice President Kamala Harris had her first one-on-one television MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle.
  • 9 minutes
You just laid out your economic vision for the future? Yeah, but still, there are lots of Americans who don't see themselves in your plans. For those who say these policies aren't for me. What do you say to them? [00:00:15] Well, if you are hardworking, if you have the dreams and the ambitions and the aspirations of what I believe you do, you're in my plan. [00:00:33] That clip was from Kamala Harris's just released interview on MSNBC with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle. Now we're going to get to more clips from the interview. But before we do, I do think it's important to say that she chose to speak with rules specifically for this interview. [00:00:51] But Ruhle said something recently on Bill Maher's show that kind of makes me worry about her being the one carrying out this interview. But anyway, for now, we're going to actually focus on the interview itself, and then we'll go back to what Rahul said in a bit. [00:01:07] Now, Harris has repeatedly been pressed to do more interviews, and I commend her for doing that. Now, this isn't her first one on one interview, if you count her discussion with Oprah, but that was kind of like a fluffy interview. Like, I don't know if I'd want to call that hard hitting. [00:01:23] The thing is, this might be a fluffy interview as well, I don't know. We're going to watch the clips together. So, Rahul asked Harris about how she would implement a higher corporate tax rate. Something that I know Stephanie Ruhle is not actually in favor of, but nonetheless, let's watch. [00:01:40] Expanding that child tax credit or you mentioned housing before giving that extra money for a first home. If you can't raise corporate taxes or if GOP takes control of the Senate. Where do you get the money to do that? Do you still go forward with those plans and borrow? [00:01:56] Well, but we're going to have to raise corporate taxes and we're going to have to have to raise. We're going to have to make sure that the biggest corporations and billionaires pay their fair share. That's just it. It's about paying their fair share. [00:02:12] I am not mad at anyone for achieving success, but everyone should pay their fair share. And it is not right that the teachers and the firefighters that I meet every day across our country are paying a higher tax than the richest people in our country. [00:02:30] Look, I think that the messaging there is good. I agree with what Kamala Harris is saying, but how do you plan on doing that? Right? I mean, Joe Biden, of course, came into office and said, I'm going to raise the corporate tax rate [00:02:47] from 21% to 28%, even though it was 35% before Trump cut it down to 21%. So his starting point wasn't even at the full 35%. It was at 28%. Kamala Harris has said the same thing. [00:03:02] And so I want to understand how do you intend on even getting that accomplished? Because Biden failed. So what are you going to do to succeed? Yeah. And by the way, I mean, to the point I was making earlier, Stephanie Ruhle, not a fan of raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and you're about to get [00:03:20] a little taste of that in her follow up. How do you find that line to make sure corporations are paying their fair share, but they're not leaving our country? Well, listen, I work with a lot of CEOs. I have spent a lot of time with CEOs. And I'm going to tell you that the business leaders who are actually part [00:03:38] of the engine of America's economy, agree that people should pay their fair share. They also agree that when we look at a plan such as mine, that is about investing in the middle class, investing in new industries, investing in bringing down costs. [00:03:55] Invest in entrepreneurs like small businesses that the overall economy is stronger and everyone benefits. Part of my plan for the economy is investing in new industries in a way that we have active partnership with the private sector. [00:04:11] I've worked with the private sector my entire career. I, even as vice president, working with some of the biggest banks and biggest tech companies to increase by billions of dollars, the money going into community banks to increase access to capital for small businesses. [00:04:27] Why do those biggest corporations and CEOs do that? Because they know those kinds of investments, like in our small businesses, in startups and entrepreneurs, actually strengthens America's economy overall. Hey, don't scroll away, come back, come back. [00:04:42] Because before the video continues, we just want to urge you to lend your support to TYT. You power our honest reporting. You do it at tight.com/team and we love you for it. You see that smile on Stephanie rules face? Yeah, that's the smile of someone who feels confident [00:04:58] that nothing is going to change. And the wealthy will be fine. That that was my take anyway. Really? That's your groundbreaking proposal? Government partnerships with corporations. How is that different from what's happening right now? [00:05:14] I mean, some of that, I think in trying to make the case that we're going to do this, we have to do this. And when we do this, everyone is going to benefit, including the corporations, even if their taxes are a little bit higher. I think is at least an interesting like flipping on its head of we're going to slash corporate taxes and some money will trickle down and you pause, [00:05:32] which we always hear reverse that. Focus on doing what's necessary to give some benefits to those who don't have as much, and then make the case that theoretically, the rich will make more. I think the the question was was pretty silly, like, well, the corporations might leave. What if we put the taxes back where they were at five, seven years ago [00:05:50] or whatever they were here, then why would they suddenly flee? It's it's ridiculous. I thought the first half of what Harris said, there was her best answer because it started to get specific. She talked about her history. I didn't I didn't love the last part. And Stephanie rules. Smile deeply worried me. [00:06:08] And the earlier answers, I think were very vague. Yeah, she wasn't really addressing the questions, which I didn't love. That is part of the problem in the interviews that I've seen Kamala Harris do. There's a lot of vague, flowery talk, but very few specifics [00:06:25] on how she would accomplish her vision should she get elected. And we need to understand the specifics, right. Anyone can say, oh, I'm going to bring manufacturing. We need more manufacturing jobs. Yes, yes, everyone can say that. I mean, Trump says that, but what is your theory of change? [00:06:41] How do you plan on actually accomplishing that? Now I want to get back to what I was referencing earlier in regard to Stephanie Ruhle, because she was on Bill Maher's program. Okay. With I think it was Bret Stephens was the other guest. [00:06:57] And the issue of Kamala Harris, like the lack of interviews came up, but also the lack of specifics on her policy policies and agenda came up as well. And so there was this back and forth about it. And so Stevens had recently written an op ed [00:07:13] to argue that Harris has not sufficiently explained her policy positions. And here's a snippet of rules back and forth with Stevens. Stevens says it's not too much to ask. Kamala. Say, are you a Palestinian state? If Hamas is going to run that state, yes or no? [00:07:30] Rule says, okay, let's say you don't like her answer. Are you going to vote for Donald Trump? Stevens says, no, I'm not. I just said, I'm not going to vote for him. Rule says Kamala Harris isn't running for perfect. She's running against Trump. We have two choices. And so there are some things you might not know her answer to. [00:07:50] And in 2024, unlike 2016, for a lot of the American people, we know exactly what Trump will do, who he is, and the kind of threat he is to democracy, Stevens responds with Stephanie, the problem that a lot of people have with Kamala is we don't know her answer to anything. [00:08:08] Okay. And rule says, but you know his answer to everything Stephen says, and that's why I would never vote for him. And people shouldn't vote for him. But people are also or people also are expected to have some idea [00:08:23] of what the program is of the person you're supposed to vote for. You're just not supposed to say, well, you have to vote for Y because X is this, that, the, that, that and the other. Okay. So basically like they're going back and forth because Stephanie rules like [00:08:40] but Trump bad, Trump bad, Trump bad. Why are you asking so much of Kamala. Trump bad. All you need to know is that Trump bad and you vote for Kamala. That's it. End of story. And Stevens is saying no. I think voters deserve to know what the specifics are on her policy proposal. [00:08:55] She should do more interviews. And honestly, I agree with Stevens. So, you know, the fact that she's one of the very few people that Kamala Harris has agreed to be interviewed by is a little bit concerning because clearly Stephanie Ruhle doesn't really care what her policies are. All she knows is Trump bad. Can't vote for Trump. [00:09:12] So that's where we are in our current election cycle. Yeah. Yeah, I agreed with him up until the we don't know her answer to anything. Like like, do you have to be absolutist about literally everything we know? What? Where she stands on a lot of stuff. You were totally right. [00:09:28] That simply because you want more specifics about what she thinks about Gaza, say, does not mean that you're going to vote for the other guy. And it's unfair to frame things that way. I think he was totally right there. But then to go to the well, we don't know anything about her. Like you're literally a journalist. She's been in the pub like, come on, that's that's ridiculous. [00:09:45] But yeah, but I came out of it not really liking either of their positions. No, I mostly agree with you, which. Is kind of how Bill Maher's show works, I think. Thanks for watching. If you become a member, you get to watch all this ad free. Except for, of course, this ad still hit the join button below.