Vivek Ramaswamy argues that voters haven't been exposed to Vice President Harris' far-left record, following a poll that found some battleground state voters perceive Harris as less extreme than former President Trump.
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy engaged in a heated exchange with CNN anchor Kate Bolduan over Vice President Kamala Harris' policy flip-flops, in the wake of a poll that indicated some voters view Harris as less radical than her GOP rival, former President Donald Trump.
Bolduan presented the CNN poll, which revealed that close to 50% of likely voters in six battleground states considered Trump's views "so extreme they pose a threat." Approximately 40% of voters in each state expressed a similar sentiment about Harris' views.
Ramaswamy Battles CNN Host Over Perception of Harris as 'Mainstream'
"If voters don't agree with the extreme narrative against [Harris], do you think team Trump should be shifting now?" Bolduan inquired.
Ramaswamy vehemently disagreed, asserting that voters had been deprived of knowledge about Harris' far-left record due to media bias.
Ramaswamy Battles CNN Host Over Perception of Harris as 'Mainstream'
"Voters have not yet been exposed, principally by the media, to what Kamala Harris' past positions actually are," Ramaswamy emphasized. "I don't blame the voters. They've been served up a new version of Kamala Harris, where she is running to the center on economic and social policies. But the reality is... she ran for president favoring tax on unrealized capital gains, favoring 'abolition'—her words—to abolish private health insurance, a ban on fracking, bans on offshore drilling. These are the kinds of policies that absolutely are not mainstream for most Americans."
Bolduan defended Harris' evolving positions, citing her recent statement to CNN's Dana Bash that she no longer supports bans on private health insurance or fracking.
Ramaswamy Battles CNN Host Over Perception of Harris as 'Mainstream'
"Those are not her positions," Bolduan declared. "If evolving on an issue... you can even call it flip-flopping on an issue, if that is now not allowed, if that should be the death knell to a campaign, Donald Trump's got issues."
Ramaswamy countered that Harris had not merely "evolved" from her past far-left views on various issues, but was actively distancing herself from policy actions she had taken throughout her political career.
Ramaswamy Battles CNN Host Over Perception of Harris as 'Mainstream'
"Actions speak louder than words," Ramaswamy said. "She said she didn't favor a ban on fracking now, the reality is, she was one of the strongest proponents of that ban, so much so that when she was in California, she sued the Obama administration over granting fracking permits... She didn't just favor the abolition of private health insurance. She was a co-sponsor of the bill with Bernie Sanders as a U.S. senator for 'Medicare-for-all.' The reality is, when you think about the Green New Deal, she was the chief proponent, not just as a co-sponsor of the legislation, but going further and saying she would end the filibuster in the Senate to ram that through."
"Is someone allowed to evolve?" Ramaswamy responded to Bolduan's question. "Of course they are, but she deserves to explain exactly why she's changed those positions. Exactly what her position is. If it's not a ban on fracking, what exactly is it? What exactly is her health care plan if she no longer favors abolishing private health insurance? Which just four short years ago when she ran for president, she did. That's the kind of scrutiny that's been missing."
Harris recently broke her media silence, granting her first sit-down interview with CNN's Dana Bash since emerging as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee 45 days earlier. However, she has yet to hold a formal press conference or engage in additional interviews. In contrast, former President Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, have conducted at least 37 interviews combined over the past month.
Ramaswamy expressed hope that voters would gain a deeper understanding of Harris' policies as she participates in more media interviews and the upcoming ABC presidential debate.
"The American people and the electorate deserve a rich policy debate which they have not had with Kamala," Ramaswamy said.
Bolduan pressed Ramaswamy on whether it was acceptable for a candidate to modify their positions over time.
"It's not just a change in position," Ramaswamy reiterated. "These are actual hard positions on which she has actually taken policy action, both as a vice president and attorney general and a U.S. Senator."
