Harris: We will support labor reform with US $ 130 million 3:38
(CNN) -
Kamala Harris traveled to Guatemala and Mexico in search of a serious strategy to curb migration from the Northern Triangle, but her efforts were quickly overshadowed by her lighthearted answer about why she hasn't visited the US border. and Mexico as vice president.
Her defensive response to a question that would surely come up on her first overseas trip since taking office raises new questions about her political agility, while reacting to efforts by the right to present her as the border czar of the United States. administration, which is not the job Biden gave you.
Kamala Harris rejects criticism about not having traveled to the border: "I have not traveled to Europe either"
In her few months as vice president, Harris has become a lightning rod for Republicans, a useful spotlight for the Republican Party when her attacks on President Joe Biden have been unsuccessful. Biden increased the pressure on Harris by handing her a portfolio of immigration issues whose political equivalent is dynamite at a time when her critics are scrutinizing her every move, often denouncing her in the same way they turned Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria. Ocasio-Cortez in her
sparring
in previous election cycles.
Any vice president's first overseas trip is a litmus test, and Harris was under more pressure than most as a potential future party leader and the first woman of color to hold office.
Harris spoke at length about the causes of mass migration, such as crime, corruption and climate change, and announced millions of dollars in aid and investment during his trip.
He also issued a tough warning to undocumented immigrants not to come to the border.
But his political mistakes overshadowed the political advances of his trip.
The vice president has never been particularly adept at dealing with questions she doesn't like or doesn't want to answer, as she demonstrated during the 2020 primaries, when she repeatedly dodged and twisted questions about her health plan. In this case, he deflected a direct question from NBC's Lester Holt about why he hasn't visited the border, laughing and stating that he hasn't been to Europe either, adding that he didn't understand what Holt was saying, although everyone else did. they understood.
It was a clumsy response that proved unconvincing, given that the situation on the US-Mexico border is one of the most troubling issues facing the Biden administration.
Finding a solution to curb migration from Central America is a problem that has eluded multiple administrations for decades, but even some White House officials, who want her to succeed in this difficult task, were stumped.
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Vice President Kamala Harris' team tries to distance her from the tense situation on the border with Mexico
The exchange with Holt reflected the frustration Harris and his team have felt for weeks as they worked to make it clear that Biden tasked him with managing diplomatic efforts to curb migration from the Northern Triangle, not to solve the problem at the border between states. States and Mexico.
While it is true that many other government agencies are responsible for managing the border, that stance has been a difficult needle to thread for her, given that anyone with experience in the region will tell you that the two issues are inextricably intertwined.
During a press conference in Mexico, Harris clarified his comments by pledging to visit the border, which would have been an easy way to settle the issue the first time he was asked.
Her hesitant handling of politics around the immigration issue raised new questions about her political prowess, both as a vice president and as a future White House hopeful, as this week's trip was her first test at the highest levels of government. diplomacy.
The right-wing media is trying to portray Harris as hopelessly inept when it comes to border issues, and she gave them a chance by trying to distance themselves from the problems in the area. The clumsiness of her response to Holt came to dominate the story of her trip, prompting questions about her preparation and sexist criticism about her willingness to take on these challenges. It also overshadowed his substantive responses on politics in the Northern Triangle and the intense and practical efforts he's making to dig deeper into the issue as he tries to shape strategy for the region.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and other Republican Party leaders, many of whom have made high-profile trips to the border without succeeding in solving the problem, pounced on what they perceived as a blunder: "Kamala Harris did not He has been to Europe, he has not been to Australia, but we do not have a crisis on the Australian or European border, ”Cruz tweeted.
“We have a crisis on the southern border.
She should come to Texas and see the crisis first hand.
#BidenBorderCrisis ».
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, added to the criticism by tweeting that “the only thing Vice President Kamala Harris has accomplished in the last 3 days was to avoid really addressing the crisis that is worsening in the border of the United States.
Harris: Let's discourage illegal immigration 3:36
It is clear that some of the criticism of Harris, especially in the conservative media, is sharper because she is the first black vice president.
For example, Fox News commentator Katie Pavlich claimed Tuesday that Harris was chosen by Biden "on the basis of gender and skin color and not actual talent and experience," an offensive comment that overlooks track record. and the achievements of the former prosecutor, who was California attorney general and US senator.
But success in politics depends on the ability to be agile both at home and on the world stage, understanding how to deflect criticism or inappropriate questions so that they become an advantage. Harris has always struggled in that regard, even from her early days in California politics, and she knows that she now faces increased scrutiny because Biden said she presented herself as a "transition figure" and then chose her to be the leader. last person in the room when making important decisions.
Precisely because she is seen as the potential heir to Biden and a possible future Democratic candidate, she will face a relentless, years-long campaign from the right to discredit her. That means that the attention on it will always be intense, and it will need a political operation that is always ready to react. The bad reviews from this first trip recall some of the missteps of a 2020 campaign for the White House that fell short of its first promises and the possibility that it may have learned from them.
She has taken on two big assignments from Biden: curbing migration from the Northern Triangle and fighting for the right to vote, which are among the administration's thorniest issues. His first foray abroad raised questions about his readiness and whether Harris has the kind of strong political team vice presidents need, especially those who are relatively new to the world stage and unaccustomed to the constant scrutiny of top-tier politics. line.
These issues are especially important to someone who could be the first female president and who is one step away from occupying the most important position. It will take time for Harris to develop political security and the ability to dodge nagging questions from the press, as Hillary Clinton demonstrated, for example, during her tenure as Secretary of State. Clinton, who was less gifted than Harris for retail politics, nevertheless had the ability of more accomplished global politicians to think of several sentences in advance while arguing with the press or with a foreign official, a skill that Harris still has. to master.
While it is not Harris's fault that immigration is an intractable issue that has challenged presidents for decades, the idea that his staff has repeatedly advanced that their competence extends solely to the international and diplomatic aspects of the problem is disingenuous.
It is easy to understand why his aides may view border problems as a poisoned political chalice.
But presidents, and by extension vice presidents, cannot choose areas of responsibility at will.
The White House is entrusted with all the problems that no one else can solve.
Kamala Harris seeks to sign an immigration agreement with Mexico and fight corruption in Guatemala
Still, none of the damage Harris suffered on his trip is irreparable. And when it comes to gaffes on a trip abroad, his slip-ups pale in comparison to the behavior of former President Donald Trump, whose trip was a never-ending parade of insults to America's friends and insults to values. democratic. Trump, for example, took advantage of a summit in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin to insult US intelligence agencies on live television, while standing next to the former KGB officer who had interfered in a series of events. US elections to help you. And he rubbed shoulders with one of the world's cruelest dictators, North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
It's safe to say that Harris would never repeat that behavior.
And although this first trip has been bumpy, he has plenty of time to prove his worth.
–CNN's Stephen Collinson contributed to this report.
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