Kamala Harris Addresses Policy Shifts: 'My Values Remain Consistent'

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has insisted that her "values have not changed," even though she has revised her stance on a number of critical issues, among them fracking—which she used to be against but now favors.

Harris, since becoming the Democratic nominee for the White House, has faced pressure on this issue - which had a renewed push in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash Thursday. Her candidacy has been criticized by Republican opponent and former President Donald Trump - along with his supporters, including his family members - for avoiding unscripted media appearances.

Hydraulic fracturing - the drilling practice that releases natural gas and oil from deep beneath the earth - is still contentious in Pennsylvania, a critical 2024 presidential swing state, and several others. Harm to water supplies has been highlighted as one of the dangers of fracking; Harris has said she favors banning the practice.

"What I said was, and what I would do, is make sure that on federal lands, we are not allowing fracking," Harris said. "No, and I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020 that I would not ban fracking as vice president. I did not ban fracking as president. I will not ban fracking…. In 2020 I made very clear where I stand. We are in 2024, and I haven't changed that position, nor will I going forward. I kept my word, and I will keep my word."

The interviewer asked what had changed her stance.

Harris replied, "Well, let's be clear, my values have not changed."

Throughout the interview, Harris was candid and pushed back on the record.

Joe Biden and I came into office in the middle of a pandemic. And we saw that well over 10 million jobs had been lost, people literally-we were all tracking the numbers-hundreds of people a day were dying because of COVID, so the economy had crashed, in large part, all of that because of mismanagement by Donald Trump.