Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris went to great lengths to avoid agreeing with President Donald Trump on trade policy during a CNN interview that aired Sunday morning.
Harris skated around the questions — she focused on how trade deals favor large corporations at the expense of the middle class — from anchor Jake Tapper during the interview that was taped in Oakland, California, earlier in the week. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Struggles To Answer Questions About Her Favorite Music)
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Tapper set up his question by singling out a statement made by Trump that appeared to be in line with Harris’ general political philosophy.
“President Trump on the campaign trail in 2015-16 — and as president — says trade deals in this country by Democratic presidents and by Republican presidents have been too tilted towards helping corporations and helping Wall Street and too tilted against the middle class and the manufacturing sector. Do you disagree with that premise?” Tapper asked.
Harris did not answer the question directly, instead rephrasing the same basic assessment in other words.
“I believe that there is no question that over many decades the rules have been written in a way that have been to the exclusion of lifting up the middle class and working people in America and working families in America,” she said.
Harris then pivoted to her own proposed tax code changes, adding, “In fact, that’s why I’m proposing that one of the things we do to address that is that we reform the tax code in a way that will give middle class working families that are making less than $100,000 a year a $6,000 tax credit they can receive up to $500 a month.”
Tapper pressed again, saying, “On the subject of trade, it doesn’t sound like you disagree with the president on the premise, on his general argument, that the middle class keeps getting screwed on these trade deals and he’s trying to renegotiate better deals.”
Once again, Harris evaded the direct question, explaining instead that she wanted trade policy to include efforts to “supply and equip the American worker with the skills and resources that they need to thrive, not only survive but thrive.”
“I believe we have got to have policy that better protects American workers and American industries,” she said, stopping short of admitting that she agreed with Trump’s premise.