Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated in her first interview since taking the top spot on the Democratic presidential ticket that she would not ban fracking if elected, claiming she made her position on fracking “clear” during the 2020 election.

“No, and I made it 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,” Harris said.

Before Harris dropped her presidential bid in 2019 and joined President Biden’s slate of candidates, she told CNN on her first day in office, “I support a ban on fracking without a doubt.”

“And starting with what we can do on day one around public lands, right?” she continued. “And then there’s legislation, but yes, that’s something I’ve taken up in California. I have a history of working on this issue, and to get back to your point, we just have to recognize that the residual impact of fracking is enormous in terms of the health and safety of communities.”

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Vice President Kamala Harris during her first media interview since reaching the top spot on the Democratic ticket. (CNN)

CNN host Dana Bash asked Harris about her 2019 comments, to which Harris responded that she was “clear” about fracking during her campaign as Biden’s vice presidential nominee.

“In 2020, I made it very clear where I stand. We’re in 2024 and I haven’t changed that position, although I have moved forward. I kept my word and I will keep my word,” Harris continued.

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Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris arrives for a campaign rally in Savannah, Georgia, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“Let’s be clear. My values ​​have not changed. I believe it’s very important that we take seriously what we need to do to protect ourselves from what is a clear climate crisis. And to do that, we can do what we’ve accomplished so far. The Inflation Reduction Act — what we’ve done to invest, by my count, over… a trillion dollars over the next 10 years, investing in a clean energy economy. What we’ve already done: created over 300,000 new clean energy jobs,” she continued.

Harris was asked about fracking during her 2020 vice presidential debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence, but did not reveal her position on fracking. Instead, she said Biden would not ban fracking. Fox News Digital reviewed a transcript of the 2020 vice presidential debate and found that “fracking” was mentioned nine times, with Harris using the word twice.

“Joe Biden is not going to end fracking. He’s been very clear about that,” Harris said during the 2020 cycle debate.

“I repeat and the American people know that Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact. That is a fact,” she added during another part of the debate.

Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Harris was joined by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the interview, which comes 68 days before Election Day. Harris has largely avoided the media since rising to the top of the ticker after Biden dropped out of the race last month.

The CNN interview is her first with the media. She has not held a press conference in 39 days, when she first emerged as the presumptive nominee.

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Harris traveled to Chicago last week, where she formally accepted her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention.