Savannah (AFP)
Kamala Harris declared on Thursday that Americans are ready to turn the page on Donald Trump as she reached out to centrist voters in her first interview since her dramatic entry into November's presidential election.
The 59-year-old Democrat insisted on CNN that she would be tough on illegal immigration and support oil and gas fracking -- while sticking to her liberal background by pledging a fairer economy.
"I am the best person to do this job," Harris said in a joint interview with her running mate Tim Walz while on the campaign trail in the swing state of Georgia.
The first female and Black and South Asian vice president described Trump as "diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans, really dividing our nation."
"I think people are ready to turn the page on that," she said. "People are ready for a new way forward."
The Democrat also said that she would name a Republican to her cabinet if she wins, in another sign that she is reaching out to wavering middle-of-the-road voters.
Trump branded the interview "BORING!!!" in a post on social media.
The Republican former president called Harris the "greatest flip-flopper" as he addressed a rally in the swing state of Michigan, before mocking her appearance in the interview.
"She didn't look like a leader to me," he said later.
Harris rejected criticism that she has shifted positions on politically sensitive issues including fracking, which she once opposed but now supports, and illegal migration over the Mexican border, where she has taken a harder line.
"As president I will not ban fracking," she said.
Addressing criticism that she had been too soft on immigration, Harris said that as president she would sign tough legislation.
"My values have not changed," Harris said.
Flipping pancakes
Harris meanwhile described for the first time how she was flipping pancakes with her family when Biden rang her on July 21 to say he was ending his White House bid.
"He told me what he had decided to do. And I asked him, 'Are you sure?' And he said, 'Yes,'" she said.
Republicans had criticised Harris for not giving any interviews since Biden abruptly dropped out, following mounting concerns over his health and age at 81.
Harris gave the interview while on a campaign bus tour of Georgia, one of the seven battleground states that are expected to decide the November 5 election.
A number of polls out Thursday showed Harris ahead of Trump, if only marginally, with several of them finding increased support for Harris in battleground states.
Trump has himself been hitting the campaign trail hard in recent days, after a period where the 78-year-old former president appeared to struggle to find his footing against a new, younger, female candidate.
Harris and Trump are set to face off in their pivotal first debate on September 10 in Philadelphia.