US elections: Kamala Harris would put a Republican in her cabinet

On Thursday, 29 August, when several polls indicated that Donald Trump continued to have the support of ‘men and white voters’, Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris said that if elected, she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet.

While she did not have a particular name in mind, she insisted that as President she would act for ‘all Americans’.

“I’ve got 68 days to go with this election, so I’m not putting the cart before the horse,” she told CNN in her first interview as a presidential candidate. “But I would, I think. I think it’s really important. I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion.

While polls show Harris leading marginally over Donald Trump, she has quite a fight on her hands to win the seven battleground states, especially Pennsylvania, if she is to end up in the Oval Office.

According to a poll by Reuters/Ipsos released on Thursday, 29 August, Harris has picked up support among women and Hispanics in particular. Harris led Trump by 49 per cent to 36 per cent among both women and Hispanic voters, the poll revealed. However, it also found that Trump led among white voters and men.

On a more positive note for Harris, a Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll found her leading in six out of the seven swing states, while a Fox News poll also showed increasing support in the battlegrounds.

Harris reiterated her focus on strengthening the economy in the interview too: “First and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class.”

Even as polls continue to show that more voters trust Trump to handle the economy better and tame inflation, Harris has declared her priorities include bringing down costs of food, housing and childcare and forcing American corporations to pay more taxes. She is also expected to ramp up construction of affordable housing. (President Biden, for his part, focused more on job creation and manufacturing.)

Speaking of her priorities, in answer to a charge that she has shifted her position on several issues, with Donald Trump accusing her of being a ‘flip-flopper’, Harris told CNN, “My values have not changed; and after four years as vice president, I’ll tell you, I believe it is important to build consensus, and it is important to find a common place of understanding of where we can actually solve problems.”

She did not, however, have a categorical answer on how she planned to end strife in West Asia and end the conflict in Gaza. CNN also asked her specifically whether she would limit arms sale to Israel, but she evaded the question. “We have to get a deal done. This war must end, and we must get a deal that is about getting the hostages out,” she said.