Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This Week: The Democratic presidential nominee wasn’t asked about the biggest issues she would face as president.
Kamala Harris sat down yesterday for her much-awaited interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. The reactions to their conversation, which Tim Walz joined, broke down along predictable lines. Democrats hailed it. Republicans panned it.
The truth no doubt lies somewhere in between. Harris didn’t make much news, whether good or bad. She did pledge to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet. That vow is a nod to her promise to govern on behalf of all Americans. There are many highly skilled and talented Republicans who no doubt would make good additions to a Harris administration. But as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both discovered, naming a Republican to your Cabinet—even when it’s a high profile post like secretary of defense—does little to quell partisan passions.
Harris also made her views crystal clear on one issue that is dividing Democrats, namely, support for Israel’s war in Gaza. She unequivocally defended Israel’s right to defend itself and said she would not withhold weapons destined to Israel. She coupled those statements with a commitment to get a ceasefire, secure the release of all hostages, and work toward a two-state solution. That position, however, reasonable it may be, will not satisfy those Democrats who oppose U.S. policy.
What was most striking about the interview, though, was that the biggest domestic and foreign policy challenges the next president will face were largely absent. Bash didn’t ask Harris what she planned to do about America’s growing national debt, how she proposes to remake the U.S. tax system, whether she would try to regulate artificial intelligence or social media, how she would deal with China, whether and how she would continue U.S. support for Ukraine, how she would deal with Iran, or why she thinks U.S. global leadership is critical to advancing American security and prosperity.
Of course, no interview that runs for less than an hour can cover every topic. That is especially so when journalists also ask personal questions or press candidates on inconsistencies in their past statements. But with any luck, some future interviewer will ask Harris—and Donald Trump as well—about the issues that will dominate the next president’s agenda.