Key Points
- Vice president Kamala Harris has defended her administration's immigration policies in a Fox News interview.
- The Democratic presidential candidate also said a Harris administration wouldn't be a continuation of Joe Biden's.
- Meanwhile, Donald Trump has stood by debunked claims that immigrants in Ohio were eating pets.
has defended the Biden administration's handling of illegal immigration in a combative television interview on Fox News, just hours after Republican candidate Donald Trump defended making debunked claims that migrants have been eating pets.
Grilled by host Bret Baier, Harris blamed Republicans for failing to pass a border security bill and also defended President Joe Biden's mental fitness, her years as his vice president and her previous support of gender-affirming surgery for transgender inmates.
Harris and Baier frequently talked over each other and Harris grew visibly frustrated, but she delivered her message for the US election to a conservative audience that might not often hear it.
She was asked to defend the administration's early decision to reverse some of the when he was president and to respond to a mother who testified in Congress about the loss of her daughter at the hands of an immigrant in the US illegally.
"I'm so sorry for her loss, but let's talk about what is happening right now," Harris said.
She said Trump told Republicans to reject a bipartisan immigration bill early this year because "he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem".
Harris pledges break from Biden's presidency
Trump and Republicans have claimed that immigrants are fuelling violent crime in the United States, although studies show immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than others.
Asked about her recent comment that there was "not a thing" she would change about the actions of the Biden administration, Harris said: "Let me be very clear, my presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency."
She said she would bring in new ideas from Republicans and business leaders to solve housing shortages and expand small businesses.
Harris was a vocal supporter of Biden when he faced mounting questions about his mental fitness after , before dropping out of the race in July. She was asked to defend those statements.
Biden has the "judgement" and "experience" to be president, she said, while questioning Trump's fitness for office.
She was pressed on her position on using taxpayer funds for gender-affirming surgery for transgender inmates, including those who are undocumented. Trump has spent millions of dollars in ads on the subject in battleground states.
"I will follow the law," Harris said, noting that the US Bureau of Prisons provided gender-affirming treatments under Trump. She accused him of "throwing stones when you live in a glass house".
The nearly 30-minute interview marked the first time Harris has appeared as a presidential candidate on the conservative media network, which often features opinion show hosts who mock her and other Democrats and tout Trump's policies.
Within minutes of the interview's end, the Trump campaign released a statement calling it a "train wreck".
David Urban, a political strategist and past Trump campaign aide, said Harris gave an uneven and subpar performance, avoiding responsibility and making Trump the scapegoat.
Democrats said Harris went on unfriendly territory and made it through without any gaffes.
Trump stands by pet-eating claims
Earlier Trump stood by debunked claims that immigrants in Ohio were eating pets, telling Latino voters during a town hall he was "just saying what was reported".
Trump in recent weeks has that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing residents' pets or taking wildlife from parks for food.
There have been no credible reports of Haitians eating pets, and officials in Ohio — including Republicans — have repeatedly said the story is untrue.
At a town hall hosted by Univision, an undecided Latino Republican voter from Arizona, a battleground state, asked Trump whether he truly believed that immigrants were eating pets.
"I was just saying what was reported. All I do is report," Trump replied during the event held in Miami. "I was there, I'm going to be there and we're going to take a look."
Trump campaigns says 'father of IVF' comment a joke
Trump also called himself the "father of IVF" as he tried to convince the crucial voting bloc they can trust him on reproductive issues.
Harris, when asked about Trump's comments, told reporters: "The reality is his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America on this issue."
Trump, who is trailing Harris in popularity among women voters ahead of the United States election, suggested he was eager to discuss the issue at an all-women event hosted by Fox News in Georgia. The state is among a handful likely to decide the election.
Hearing that some women were concerned about possible restrictions on fertility treatments, Trump emphasised his party's support for the procedure, even though some conservative Republicans do not support in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Trump's campaign team has said he was joking when he said he was the "father of IVF". Source: AP / Alex Brandon
"We want fertilisation that is all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and we're out there on IVF, even more than them."
Senate Republicans blocked Democratic-led legislation designed to protect IVF access twice in recent months, with some Republicans arguing the legislation is unnecessary as IVF access is not in danger.
IVF emerged as a hot-button issue in the election after the . That ruling left it unclear how to legally store, transport and use embryos, prompting some IVF patients to consider moving their frozen embryos out of the state.
Republicans nationwide scrambled to contain the backlash from the decision, while Democrats warned more reproductive rights could be under threat.
Trump's campaign described his "father of IVF" comment as a joke.
"It was a joke President Trump made in jest when he was enthusiastically answering a question about IVF as he strongly supports widespread access to fertility treatments for women and families," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
Harris, when asked about Trump's comments, warned against being "distracted by his choice of words".
"The reality is his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America on this issue," she told reporters.
Trump also fielded questions about immigration, guns and abortion, including whether he agrees with his wife, Melania Trump, who says in a new memoir that
Trump said he encourages Melania to support what she wants to support — and plugged the book.
"Do you agree with her?" he was asked.
Trump said he encourages Melania to support what she wants to support — and plugged the book.
Asked to name three things he likes about Democratic presidential nominee Harris, Trump said: "She seems to have an ability to survive."
"Because she was out of the race, and all of a sudden, she's running for president," he said.
Harris made a direct appeal to Republican voters on Wednesday, as she highlighted the party's support for her campaign in a battleground county in Pennsylvania before appearing on Fox News.
In Bucks County, outside of Philadelphia, she emphasised Trump's push to overturn his election loss four years ago, when he lost the White House to President Joe Biden.
Harris said Trump's actions violated the US constitution and, if given the chance, he will violate it again.
"He [Trump] refused to accept the will of the people and the results of a free and fair election. He sent a mob, an armed mob, to the United States Capitol, where they violently assaulted police officers, law enforcement officials and threatened the life of his own vice president," she said.
Over 100 Republicans joined Harris in Bucks County, including Adam Kinzinger, a former congressman and member of the committee that investigated the by supporters of then-president Trump.
"No matter your party, no matter who you voted for last time, there is a place for you in this campaign," Harris said.
