On Thursday’s edition of NBC’s “MTP Now,” Harris-Walz Campaign Senior National Spokesman Ian Sams said that 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposals can be thought of “in terms of understanding that there are really big, powerful interests out there who are screwing over regular people, and we need to actually use our policy programs to take them on in order to give relief to some people. That’s something that I think we haven’t talked a ton about over the last four years,” and criticized the “shorthanding that maybe there’s some massive break” between Harris and President Joe Biden. He also stated that while Harris and Biden are “very different candidates” and they disagree in some places, “there have been amazing successes” under the Biden administration.
Host Kristen Welker asked, “Let me ask you, broadly speaking, because she has put out a number of proposals, including a ban on price gouging — as you just laid out — a smaller increase in the capital gains tax, but how should people think about a Harris administration as compared to a Biden administration? Where will the big differences be? Will there be any big differences, Ian?”
Sams answered, “Well, yeah, you’re starting to see some of these areas where they disagree a little bit on how to get the policies done.”
Welker then cut in to say, “Around the edges.”
Sams responded, “Well, I don’t — I think at the end of the day, they’re very different candidates. I think the country and voters view them as different people. I think that people can see that President Biden and Vice President Harris aren’t the same person, and I think that when Vice President Harris talks about her values and priorities, when you think about something like the price gouging proposal, this is someone who’s spent 15 years — 20 years of their career as a prosecutor taking on special interests, big, powerful interests on behalf of regular people who’ve been wronged by them. And so, you can think about her policy proposals in terms of understanding that there are really big, powerful interests out there who are screwing over regular people, and we need to actually use our policy programs to take them on in order to give relief to some people. That’s something that I think we haven’t talked a ton about over the last four years, but, again, I think [there are] places that she can continue to roll out ideas and talk about for the American people and maybe a little bit of a distinction from President Biden.”
He continued, “And I think the other thing is putting forward ideas that grow on and expand upon progress that we’ve made under President Biden. I don’t think it has to be — I think there’s a little bit of a shorthanding that maybe there’s some massive break or something. I think there are places where they disagree, they’re different candidates, but, at the end of the day, there have been amazing successes under this administration, and what she’s putting forward are ideas of how to build on that and to talk to the American people about her own values and her own vision for doing this that is unique to her as a candidate.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett