VP Harris' First Press Interview Underway Shortly

CNN is shortly due to broadcast an interview with Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. The interview, which was taped earlier today, is the first major unscripted media appearance for Harris since she became the presumptive Democratic nominee five weeks ago. Livestream available on CNN(paywall).

• Harris’ heavily choreographed campaign has been criticised by Republicans for managing her exposure to unscripted moments. There is a widely held Republican assumption that more intensive press scrutiny will expose some of the communication issues that hindered her in 2020, but that assertion is likely overblown considering the assured start to her 2024 campaign.
• Markets will be watching for firm signals on how a Harris administration would diverge from the Biden administration, particularly on key policy items like China tarrifs and strategy for Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which sunset in 2025.
• She is likely to be asked to define ‘price gouging’ and explain how she intends to ban it. She may also be asked to clarify upon whom her proposed tax increases on the wealthy would fall.
• Harris may also be probed on the Biden administration’s response to inflation and ask for clarity on how Harris intends to prevent another inflationary cycle.
• She may also be grilled on her hawkish pivot on border security, from calling Trump’s border wall "un-American" in 2018 to pledging at the DNC to sign into law the bipartisan border security bill that would continue construction of the wall. She may face similar questions about her pivot on opposition to fracking.