Vice President Kamala Harris called former President Donald Trump thin-skinned and a threat to American democracy in a combative interview with Fox News on Wednesday.

The interview gave Harris a chance to appear on a network that regularly criticizes her and praises her opponent, a notable moment after Republicans panned her for allowing interviews only with friendly reporters or podcasters. True to form, the interview was tense throughout, including multiple exchanges in which Harris and Fox News host Bret Baier repeatedly spoke over each other.

Harris brought up Trump’s recent rhetoric about the “enemy within” and threats to use the military to go after political opponents and the supposed election day chaos to suggest he is unfit for a second term , adding that it is “clear to me” that Trump “is unfit to serve, that he is unstable, that he is dangerous.”

“You and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military against the American people. He has spoken about pursuing people involved in peaceful protest. He has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him,” Harris said. the Fox News host.

“This is a democracy, and in a democracy, the president of the United States in the United States of America should be willing to deal with criticism without saying he would lock people up for it,” she said.

The comments mark an escalation in her rhetoric describing Trump as dangerous to the country while escalating his rhetoric about domestic threats from Americans, including “radical left lunatics,” raising concerns about the way he is deploying the military a future government would use.

‘No continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency’: Harris

Harris also sought to flesh out the differences Americans would see between President Joe Biden’s administration and her theoretical tenure in the White House, offering several examples after Republicans seized on her response on ABC’s “The View” last week that ‘there is nothing wrong’. mind” when asked what she would have done differently than Biden over the past four years.

“You’re not Joe Biden, you’re not Donald Trump, but, but nothing comes to mind that you would do differently?” Baier asked.

“My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency, and like any new president who comes to power, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences and fresh and new ideas,” she told Baier.

Harris specifically raised her plans to provide more housing assistance to first-time homebuyers and provide funding to start small businesses.

Still, she added that her administration would reverse what she called the Trump-era divisions in American politics.

Her election would mark a change “from the past decade in which we have been saddled with the kind of Donald Trump rhetoric designed and implemented to divide our country and literally have Americans pointing fingers at each other,” she said.

Pressure on immigration

Baier also pressed Harris on immigration and the high number of border crossings for much of the Biden administration.

Harris did not respond directly to a question about how many undocumented immigrants were being released into the country, instead criticizing Trump for opposing a bipartisan plan that would have strengthened border security. However, she expressed her condolences for families whose loved ones had been killed by those who crossed the border illegally.

“These are tragic cases. There’s no doubt about that. There is no doubt about that, and I cannot imagine the pain that the families of these victims have experienced for a loss that should not have happened,” Harris said.

“So that’s true. It’s also true that if border security had actually been passed nine months ago, it would have taken nine months before we would have had more border agents at the border, more support for the people working around the clock. trying to keep everything together to ensure that no future damage would occur.”