The takeaways from Kamala Harris’ town hall: Dodging questions, more vague answers and struggling to name Trump’s ‘virtues’

Vice President Kamala Harris was thrust into the top spot Thursday by a group of undecided Hispanic voters in Nevada, where she was pressed on a range of key issues from immigration to health care.

But as the vice president looks to win the support of this key voting bloc with just 26 days to go until Election Day, she played it safe, sidestepped some hot-button issues and resorted to talking points she often uses during her campaign.

The hour-long town hall was taped Thursday evening at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and broadcast nationally on Univision.

Journalist Enrique Acevedo moderated the program, sometimes playing translator as voters asked questions in both Spanish and English.

Former President Donald Trump will also participate in a Univision town hall with undecided Hispanic voters next week, after a taping was postponed earlier this week due to Hurricane Milton.

Here are the takeaways from the vice president’s town hall:

Kamala Harris is dodging immigration again

The vice president was asked about immigration by some undecided voters during the town hall but offered little new information, instead returning to the talking points.

At one point she was asked directly what she would do that is different from what President Biden has done to repair the border and ensure it is secure.

Harris pointed to her recent trip to the border in late September.

“Perhaps what sets me apart from at least a few people is that I was the top law enforcement officer of the largest state in the country, California, which is also a border state,” Harris said. ‘I have tackled cross-border criminal organisations.’

While the vice president spoke about her unique experience as a top prosecutor, she did not elaborate on how she would differentiate herself from Biden in tackling the issue, similar to how she recently struggled to differentiate herself during an appearance on The View.

“I will put my record before anyone else when it comes to the work that I have always done, and always will, to ensure that we have a secure border,” Harris said.

She went on to talk about the bipartisan border deal that was rejected by Republicans in Congress at Trump’s encouragement.

“So my promise to you is that by the grace of God and hopefully with your support, when I’m president, I will bring back that border security law,” Harris said, repeating what she has said at campaign events across the country. world. country.

While Harris was not directly asked to defend her record on this issue as vice president or the administration’s actions, as she did during a 60 Minutes grilling, she quickly returned to the deal rather than hammer out any differences since she remains part of the administration.

An emotional moment about healthcare for immigrants

In the most emotional moment at the town hall, a woman revealed that her mother had died just six weeks ago.

Through tears, Ivette Castillo told the vice president that she is a U.S. citizen, born to Mexican parents who had lived in the U.S. before she was born. Her father was able to obtain legal status, but her mother was undocumented.

Castillo said her mother was never able to get the care and services she needed and asked Harris how she plans to support the “subset of immigrants who have been here all or most of their lives” but “in the shadow’ have to live. ‘

“I’m so sorry,” Harris replied with visible empathy. “You must remember your mother as she lived.”

The vice president said part of the problem she “assumes” is that the US has a “broken immigration system.”

She spoke about the first bill introduced in Congress after the 2020 election aimed at fixing the immigration system, including a comprehensive path to citizenship. She said if Castillo’s mother had been able to obtain citizenship, she would have been entitled to health care.

“There are real people suffering from the inability to put solutions before politics,” Harris said.

She then moved on to talking about the bipartisan immigration bill that was a failure in Congress.

After the town hall wrapped up, the vice president was seen going over and having a private conversation with Castillo while holding her hand.

Concerns remain about the manner in which Harris took over the ticket

An undecided voter confronted the vice president during the town hall to ask how she came to be the Democratic presidential nominee.

He said she became the candidate without primaries or caucuses, which caught his attention.

“I’m also concerned about the way I feel President Biden has been pushed aside,” he told her before asking her to clarify the process.

She started thanking him for being “so candid.”

“President Biden made a decision that I think history will show was probably one of the most courageous a president could make, which is that he decided to put country above his personal interest, and he made the decision,” Harris said.

She said Biden supported her and urged her to run and be a partner over the past four years.

“I am honored to have earned the Democratic nomination,” she said. “I’m honored to have the support of people from all walks of life.”

Harris castigated Trump, pointing to his comments about dictatorship on day one, urged people to watch Project 2025 and warned that the stakes ‘extraordinarily high.’

“It’s literally about, do we support a democracy before the Constitution of the United States, or do we follow the path of someone who was a sore loser and lost the 2020 election,” she continued, accusing him of inciting the attack on the United States. January 6.

The vice president promised she would earn the vote.

Harris falls short when it comes to Trump’s three virtues

In what may have been intended as a feel-good final town hall question, Harris was asked about three virtues Trump has, but she came up short.

First, she addressed the ex-president’s approach to making it “us versus them.”

Finally she came to mention one virtue:

“I think Donald Trump loves his family, and I think that’s very important,” Harris said, calling family one of the most important things we could prioritize.

“But to be honest, I don’t really know him,” Harris added. “I met him once, on the debate stage.”

She used the rest of the time to promote her campaign.