Harris talks on 60 Minutes about immigration and the economy

In a more tense moment, Harris also was pressed to defend her immigration record, which has been heavily attacked by Trump and Republicans.

Mr Whitaker asked her whether it was a “mistake” to loosen border restrictions put in place during Trump’s presidency, given that the Biden-Harris administration re-enacted restrictions three years after taking control of the White House.

“It’s a longstanding problem. And solutions are at hand. And from day one, literally, we have been offering solutions,” she said, blaming Trump for pressuring Republicans in Congress to torpedo a border deal that would have increased immigration enforcement.

The reporter responded: “What I was asking was, was it a mistake to kind of allow that flood to happen in the first place?”

Harris replied that “the policies that we have been proposing are about fixing a problem, not promoting a problem”. She said that she and Biden have “cut the flow of illegal immigration by half”.

On Ukraine, Harris said she would not sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin unless Ukraine was also at the table.

She slammed Trump’s position, saying: “He talks about, oh, he can end it on day one. You know what that is? It’s about surrender,” she said.

If Trump was still president, she said, “Putin would be in Kyiv right now”.

She also was asked about her economic plan and how her administration would fund its plans, which could add $3tr (£2.3tr) to the US national deficit over the next decade.

“My economic plan would strengthen America’s economy. His would weaken it,” she said, adding that her plan relied on “strengthening small businesses”.

Asked again how she would pay for it, Harris responded that she would raise taxes on “the richest among us who can afford it”.

On Monday, a new analysis by the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found Trump’s proposals would increase the US national debt by double the amount of Harris’.

Trump would add $7.5tn and Harris would add $3.5tn, the group said.

The think tank warned that neither was addressing the country’s growing $35.6tn debt.