Harris says he’s different from Biden because ‘I’m offering a new generation of leadership’

WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Kamala Harris, who is presenting herself as a candidate for change in her run for president against Republican Donald Trump, said Friday that she is different from President Joe Biden because she offers “a new generation of leadership.”

In his first televised interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris also criticized the “hate and division that we see coming from Donald Trump” and said he thinks people are “exhausted” by his leadership style.

He also said he’s a gun owner and doesn’t want to take away anyone’s guns, but believes a ban on assault-style weapons is necessary and consistent with the Second Amendment.

Anchor Brian Taff of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia asked Harris to describe one or two areas in which he differs from the president.

“Well, of course I’m not Joe Biden” and “I’m offering a new generation of leadership,” Harris said, adding that things that have been taken for granted can no longer be ignored.

“For example, my second plan, which is a new approach, is to expand the child tax credit to $6,000 for young families for the first year of their child’s life, because it’s obviously a very critical stage in a child’s development, so the approach is based on new ideas, new policies that are targeted at this time,” he said. “And also, to be very honest with you, I’m very much focused on what we need to do in the next 10, 20 years to catch up to the 21st century around capacity, but also around challenges.”

The interview was conducted in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, while Harris was campaigning there on Friday.

Trump, his running mate Sen. JD Vance and other Republicans have criticized Harris for largely avoiding media interviews or interacting with reporters covering his campaign events. He and his running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, gave a joint interview to CNN last month. His campaign recently said he would begin doing more local interviews, and the National Association of Black Journalists announced Friday that some of its members will interview Harris on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Harris used a question about the former president’s appeal and how he would speak to his supporters to criticize Trump and his leadership style.

“I also think I know correctly that most Americans want a leader who brings us together as Americans, not one who claims to be a leader who tries to get us to point fingers at each other,” he said.

The vice president suggested that his support from Republican officials, including former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, is the result of people being “tired” of Trump.

“I think people are more willing now, in light of the anger and division that Donald Trump has caused, to say, ‘Hey, let’s put the country first,’ and I think that’s only going to make us stronger and healthier as a country,” he said.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The vice president, 59, is a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator. He offered a few answers when asked to share one thing he’d like people to know about him that they don’t already.

“It’s probably not that different from what anyone’s looking at right now,” he said. “I love my family. One of my favorite things that I haven’t been able to do lately is Sunday family dinner. I love to cook.”

Harris also said her best friend from kindergarten “is still my best friend.”