GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday continued to steer clear of criticizing President Joe Biden, arguing that vice presidents not denigrating the commander-in-chief is an American tradition.
After she delivered remarks at an afternoon campaign rally, Harris was asked by NBC News to identify one policy she would have done differently from Biden over the last three and a half years.
“To be very candid with you, even including Mike Pence, vice presidents are not critical of their presidents. I think that really, actually, in terms of the tradition of it, and also just going forward, it does not make for a productive and important relationship,” Harris said.
Harris has come under fire from her Republican opponent Donald Trump for refusing to more forcefully distance herself from Biden, who remains unpopular in public opinion polls. Earlier this week, Biden said Harris would “cut her own path” as president separate from his, seen as a signal that he would not be upset if she put distance between them.
While Harris continued to refuse to say one thing she would have done differently from Biden, she did point to examples of policies she would change if elected president. Harris pointed to her home health care proposal for Medicare that would provide assistance to people who care for their ailing family members. She also cited her priority to provide affordable housing to people.
Harris dismissed her critics, including Trump, claiming that “joy” has disappeared from her campaign. “Oh, I’m having a great time,” she said.
She argued her campaign can be optimistic about the future and “clear-eyed” in criticizing Trump.
“I have a great deal of optimism — as do the people who are here — about the future of our country,” she said. “That is not in conflict, but also being clear-eyed about the danger that Donald Trump poses based on the language that he has used and his admiration for dictators, his inability to really focus on the needs of the American people, particularly working people, these things are not in conflict.
During the interview with NBC News, Harris addressed questions about the widening gender gap that shows Trump has the advantage among men.
“You can look at this audience, and you can see that there are people of every background and gender who are showing up by the thousands, and I think it is because they know I intend to be a president for all Americans, and that is how I’m campaigning to earn the vote of every American,” she said.
Pressed again about the gender gap and Trump having the upper hand with male voters, Harris said, “It’s not the experience that I’m having, to be honest with you.”
NBC News has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Both Harris and Trump have been doing targeted media interviews in the final weeks of the campaign.
Trump appeared on Fox News on Friday morning, and has recently gone on popular podcasts geared toward young men, including the Full Send, Bussin’ with the Boys and Flagrant programs. He also did a town hall with Univision and an interview with Bloomberg News. On Sunday night, however, he canceled an interview with NBC News’ Senior Business Correspondent Christine Romans on the economy that was scheduled to tape on Monday; his campaign has not yet rescheduled it. He also canceled an interview this week with CNBC and decided not to sit for an interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS, which is traditional for a party’s presidential nominee.
Harris had been criticized for doing very few media interviews, but recently she’s gone on a blitz, including with less traditional outlets — including the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Howard Stern’s show, “The Shade Room” and Fox News.
In her remarks at her Grand Rapids rally, Harris took aim at Trump by questioning the former president’s energy on the campaign trail.
“He is, as we have seen, only focused on himself, and now he is ducking debates and canceling interviews. Come on,” Harris said, appearing to refer to interviews he had apparently agreed to on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
Harris continued: “His own campaign team recently said it is because of exhaustion. Well, if you are exhausted on the campaign trail, it raises real questions about whether you are fit for the toughest job in the world.”
The vice president has recently sharpened her attacks on Trump in terms of questioning his mental acuity.
Peter Alexander reported from Grand Rapids, Mich., and Rebecca Shabad from Washington.