Kamala Harris pressed on immigration, Biden in combative Fox News interview: 5 key moments

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said if elected her presidency would "not be a continuation of Joe Biden's" during a combative interview Wednesday on Fox News as the Democratic nominee ramps up her outreach to Republican voters.

With 20 days before the election, Harris tried to defend her record on immigration and the economy during her first-ever formal appearance on Fox News, known for its conservative commentators. Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier and Harris spoke over each other repeatedly, making for tense exchanges throughout the nearly 30-minute segment.

Harris joined Baier in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, shortly after delivering afternoon remarks at a rally in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, where she was accompanied by more than 100 Republicans backing her campaign.

Here are five key moments from her interview:

Fiery exchange over migration at the southern border

Right out of the gate, Harris and Baier engaged in a fiery back and forth when the Fox News host asked how many undocumented immigrants have illegally entered the U.S. under the Biden-Harris administration. Harris did not give a number.

"Just a number: Do you think it's 1 million? Three million?" Baier asked.

Election updates: Harris sits for interview with Fox News' Bret Baier

Harris responded: "Bret, let's just get to the point, OK? The point is that we have a broken immigration system that needs to be repaired."

Baier interrupted, citing estimates that perhaps as many as 6 million undocumented immigrants have been released into the county.

"I was beginning to answer," Harris said, as Baier spoke over the vice president, pointing to executive actions President Joe Biden took early in his administration to overturn former President Donald Trump's border policies.

Migration at the southern border — where Harris made a campaign visit to last month in Arizona — remains a major election liability for Harris. She said, "I'm so sorry for her loss" when Baier showed a video of a mother detailing how her daughter was killed by an undocumented immigrant who was released into the U.S.

"Our focus has been on fixing a problem," Harris said, adding that Senate Republicans, at Trump's urging, blocked bipartisan border legislation this year that would have created new restrictions for asylum seekers and added additional Border Patrol agents.

"Let me just finish," Harris told Baier. "Donald Trump learned about that bill and told them to kill it because he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem."

Harris walks back some immigration stances

Harris signaled that she no longer supports some of the progressive immigration policies she backed as a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, such as allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses and to receive taxpayer-funded health care.

"That was five years ago, and I'm very clear that I will follow the law," Harris said when Baier asked whether she still supports these proposals.

She also said she no longer supports decriminalizing illegal border crossings — a policy she also backed as a candidate in 2019 before dropping out of the primary.

"I do not believe in decriminalizing border crossings, and I've not done that as vice president. I will not do that as president," Harris said.

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Transgender surgeries for people in prison

Harris said she would follow the law when Baier pressed her about past statements — featured in a recent Trump campaign ad — in which she offered support for people in prison having access to medical care for gender-affirming surgeries.

"I will follow the law, and it's a law that Donald Trump actually followed," Harris said.

Harris was referencing a report from the New York Times, published earlier Wednesday, that detailed how Trump's appointees at the Bureau of Prisons provided various gender-affirming treatments, including hormone therapy, for some incarcerated people who requested it. Bureau officials, in a 2018 memo to Congress, said they were obligated under federal law to pay for an incarcerated person's surgery if it was deemed medically necessary.

The Trump ad ends with the line: "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”

"Frankly, that ad from the Trump campaign is a little bit of like throwing stones when you're living in a glass house," Harris said.

The Trump campaign responded to the Times story by arguing the former president never advocated for the surgeries.

"Well, you've got to take responsibility for what happened in your administration," Harris said.

A break from Biden

Harris delivered her most forceful break from Biden of the 2024 campaign, arguing that if elected she would not be a continuation of the outgoing president.

Baier played video clips from Harris' appearances last week on "The View" and Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" in which she didn't present specific answers on how her presidency would be different than Biden's four years in office.

"Let me be very clear: My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency," Harris told Baier. "And like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh new ideas."

Harris said she represents "a new generation of leadership," noting that she has not spent the majority of her career in Washington. She said she "invites ideas" from Republicans, as well as the business sector. And she pointed to her campaign policies that are different from Biden's, such as her plans to boost affordable housing, offer tax relief for small business owners, and provide $25,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

Harris defended her campaign slogan — "turning the page" — when Baier suggested the message is at odds coming from an incumbent vice president.

Baier pointed to polling that shows 79% of the country believes the country is on the wrong track. "Why are they saying that? If you're turning the page, you've been in office for three and a half years."

Harris said Trump has been running for office for the past decade. "Come on, you and I both know what I'm talking about."

"Actually, I don't know what you're talking about," Baier said.

Harris said people "are exhausted with someone who professes to be a leader, who spends his full time demeaning and engaging in personal grievances, and it being about him instead of the American people."

Harris, pressed about Biden's fitness, sticks to Trump

Harris defended Biden's mental acuity on Wednesday, saying he has the "judgment and experience" to carry out the duties of president when Baier asked Harris: "When did you first notice that President Biden's mental faculties appeared diminished?"

"Joe Biden is not on the ballot. Donald Trump is," Harris said.

The 81-year-old Biden dropped out of the 2024 election in July after a disastrous debate performance against Trump raised concerns about his mental fitness and age.

"You met with him at least once a week for three and a half years. You didn't have any concerns?" Baier asked.

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But Harris returned to Trump. The vice president has increasingly characterized him as unfit for office, unstable, and dangerous. The Harris campaign has seized on Trump's refusal to release his medical records so far and his unwillingness to debate Harris a second time.

In Harris' most impassioned moment of the interview, she fired back at Trump over his repeated threats to go after the "enemy from within" and the former president's attempt to downplay his remarks.

"He's talked about locking people up because they disagree with him," Harris said. "This is a democracy, and in a democracy, the President of the United States should be willing to be able to handle criticism without saying he'd lock people up for doing it."

The Trump campaign immediately criticized Harris' performance on Fox News, saying she "couldn’t give a straight answer to a single question because she has no answers."

"Kamala Harris’ interview with Bret Baier was a TRAIN WRECK," Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign's national press secretary, said in a statement.

But Brian Fallon, the Harris campaign's communications director, told reporters the campaign achieved what it hoped.

"She was able to reach an audience that is probably been not exposed to the arguments she’s been making on the trail and she also got to show her toughness in standing tall against a hostile interviewer," Fallon said.

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris talks to Fox News: VP pressed on Biden and immigration