Harris and Trump offer new details about policies and strategy in dueling interviews

WASHINGTON — As the presidential race enters its final weeks, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump embarked on an interview blitz that offered new details about their policy priorities and their political strategies.

Harris has been there in recent days Charlemagne is Godwhose radio show is especially popular among younger and black audiences, and will be interviewed on Fox News, usually a safe haven for Republicans. Trump, meanwhile, took part in one controversial interview with the editor of Bloomberg News at an economic forum in Chicago, though the crowd was friendly to him, and participated in town halls on Fox News and the Spanish-language network Univision.

Here are some takeaways from the cascade of performances:

Both candidates have largely avoided traditional interviews during the campaign, preferring to sit in front of friendly hosts, often in non-traditional media settings. The two-day interview marathon was a remarkable, partial break from that strategy.

Harris, which the Trump campaign harped on don’t do interviews after replacing the president Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket picked up the pace this month. The vice president appeared on ABC’s “The View” and spoke with radio host Howard Stern and recorded a show with a late-night comedian Stephen Colbertamong other performances. She also went to work on the news magazine “60 Minutes,” as is traditional for presidential candidates, while Trump canceled his appearance on the show.

Harris’ appearance on Fox anchoring Bret Baier on Wednesday seemed intended to demonstrate her willingness to face any questioner, especially after Trump canceled on “60 Minutes.”

The former president’s interview by Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait on Tuesday in Chicago was an unusual appearance for a non-conservative questioner, although the audience regularly cheered him when he clashed with the interviewer. Micklethwait disputed Trump’s support for tariffs and his plans to pay for his campaign promises.

He also faced an all-female audience at a Fox News town hall before participating in a town hall on the Spanish-language network Univision, where he faced pointed questions from Latino voters. Like Harris, Trump is trying to broaden his coalition to get the key votes he needs to win the neck-and-neck race. So every interview counts for him too.

Trump has repeatedly said he is proud of his leading role in the reversal of Roe v Wade. But his latest comments on abortion serve as another reminder that the Republican understands the issue is politically dangerous for him and his party.

He was forced to defend his position when he was asked a surprisingly pointed question by the all-female audience at a Fox News town hall.

“Women have the right to do what they want and need to do with their bodies, including their unborn children. That is their business, regardless of the circumstances,” the questioner said. “Some are needed to save their own lives. Why is the government involved in women’s fundamental rights?”

Trump initially responded with his typical refrain that the issue had been sent back to the United States. But he also acknowledged that some state laws are “too strict.” And he continued: “And this is going to be done again, because there is already a movement in those states… to do it again.”

It is not clear exactly what Trump was referring to. There is little evidence that pro-Trump Republican officials in states that have passed strict abortion bans, some of which take effect before many women realize they are pregnant, are taking action to “re-enact” their laws.

A few states with strict bans have done so questions about the vote this year they would reverse that. That includes Florida, where Trump has criticized the ban as too strict, as well said he would vote to uphold the law.

The truth is that the reversal of Roe has been a political disaster for Trump’s Republican Party. Since the Supreme Court ruling, women have rebelled against the Republican Party in several elections. But Trump is betting that muddying the waters with vague promises and a softer tone could limit the damage in November.

Charlamagne pushed the boundaries of Harris’ rhetoric when the Democrat reminded voters that they had “two choices … and they are two very different visions for our nation.”

“The other is about fascism. Why can’t we just say it?” Charlemagne intervened.

Harris immediately responded, “Yes, we can say that.”

It was the first time the vice president so directly and publicly agreed to that kind of language to describe Trump. The exchange underscored Harris’ decision to return to a key Biden argument as Election Day approaches: Democracy is at stake on Nov. 5. And, the Democratic argument goes, Trump is unfit to lead because of his lies about the legitimacy of the election. 2020 election, his role in the January 6, 2021including the Capitol riot and its consistent authoritarian rhetoric.

Trump set a new example during his appearances on Fox and Univision.

When pressed about his supporters’ violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump defended his loyalists. “That was a day of love from the standpoint of millions of people,” he told Univision.

He also refused to back down from his comments last weekend that his Democratic rivals pose a more serious threat to the United States than China and Russia. This weekend and again in the Fox interview, he called them “the enemy within.”

Experts have warned that such language is common among authoritarian leaders seeking to suppress dissent.

“It’s the enemy from within, and they’re very dangerous. They are Marxists and communists and fascists,” Trump said on Fox, naming the former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam SchiffD-Calif., who served on the congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“We have China, we have Russia, we have all these countries. If you have a smart president, they can all be dealt with. The harder it is, you know, Pelosi, these people are so sick and so bad.

In elections that can be decided on the margins, every vote counts. In the final stretch towards the elections, Trump and Harris are turning their attention to black men.

Harris warned in her interview with Charlamagne that Trump wanted to oversee a return to harsh police tactics known as “stop and frisk,” which disproportionately affect black men. She vowed to push for legislation to address discriminatory law enforcement practices and decriminalize marijuana arrests, which also disproportionately affect black men. And she said reparations for slave ancestors should be studied, a position that is not new but one that Trump has tried to exploit to help shore up his lead with white voters.

It was one of the first times this campaign season that criminal justice reforms were a major talking point for Harris, even though they dominated in 2020.

Trump exuded confidence as he addressed black voters on Tuesday. Both parties concede that while Harris is likely to win black voters overwhelmingly, Trump is eating into her margins, especially among young black men. Any significant shift could have implications for razor-thin elections.

“Any African American or Latin American, and you know how well I’m doing there, who votes for Kamala needs to have your head examined,” Trump said.

Harris said part of her challenge is that Trump’s campaign is “trying to scare people away because otherwise they know they have nothing to run on.”

“Ask Donald Trump what his plan is for Black America,” she said. “Ask him.”

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Nations reported from New York. Riccardi reported from Denver.