Kamala Harris is selling herself as the “change” candidate, but beyond broad strokes, the vice president has offered scant details when pressed in recent weeks over which policies she would have handled differently than President Joe Biden.
Harris’s case hinges on a twofold argument: the 60-year-old represents a new generation and differing life experiences that draw contrast to 81-year-old Biden and will influence her policies in a new direction. But Harris’s lack of specifics has fed into the narrative from Republicans and former President Donald Trump that she symbolizes a Biden 2.0.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” a new Trump campaign ad states.
It features a clip of a recent interview Harris gave on ABC’s The View, in which she stated that “there is not a thing that comes to mind” when asked what she’d do differently than Biden.
“Kamala wouldn’t change a thing,” the Trump ad continues. “Their weakness invited wars, welfare for illegals, while Americans struggle. Now, Kamala wants higher taxes on top of higher prices. We can’t afford four more years of Kamala.”
In The View interview, Harris went on to say she’s “been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.” She later backtracked slightly to differentiate herself from Biden.
“You asked me what is the difference between Joe Biden and me — that will be one of the differences. I’m going to have a Republican in my Cabinet,” Harris said, repeating a pledge made previously.
Harris’s latest grappling with the subject came Thursday night, when she was pressed in a CNN town hall by an undecided voter.
“My administration will not be a continuation of the Biden administration,” she vowed. “I bring to this role my own ideas and my own experience. I represent a new generation of leadership on a number of issues, and believe that we have to actually take new approaches.”
Harris went on to briefly cite her housing proposals, which include tax credits for first-time homebuyers and homebuilders, before pivoting to her life and career experiences that she says set her apart from Biden. She later mentioned expanding Medicare to cover home healthcare for seniors and cracking down on “price gouging” that she blames for inflation.
“It’s about a new approach, a new generation of leadership based on new ideas and, frankly, different experiences,” she said.
Harris has been faced with an “awkward” scenario of having to “navigate the fact that swing voters don’t approve of Joe Biden’s presidency,” said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon. But he views her tactic of largely focusing on her contrast with Trump as the best approach.
“It is a slippery bridge she has to cross,” Bannon said. “But at this point, I think it’s more important to focus on the differences between her and Trump than it is on the differences between her and Biden because it’s getting to the point … it’s all about turnout, not outreach.”
Harris has also embraced certain Biden strategies, such as leaning heavily into Trump as a “threat to democracy” and labeling him a fascist, as well as walking a fine line on Israel’s war in Gaza. She’s reaffirmed U.S. support for the ally but has sought to appeal slightly more to frustrated progressives who accuse American foreign policy of enabling Israel to commit genocide against Palestinians.
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In some cases, Harris has tried to dodge answering how she would diverge from Biden or which of his policies, if any, she takes issue with.
“Even including Mike Pence, vice presidents are not critical of their presidents,” she recently told NBC News. “It does not make for a productive and important relationship.”
