In her first interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash Thursday that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet if elected.
“I’ve got 68 days to go with this election, so I’m not putting the cart before the horse,” Harris said. “But I would, I think. I think it’s really important. I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences. And I think it would be to the benefit of the American public to have a member of my Cabinet who was a Republican.”
CNN noted that she would be reviving a tradition observed by presidents over the past several decades. the GOP contender. When former President George W. Bush was in office, Democrat Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation and when former President Barack Obama was in office, Republican Robert Gates continued to serve as Secretary of Defense, as he had under Bush. However, neither current President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump followed the tradition.
Who will Harris pick?
Even before the interview, a story about Republicans supporting Harris made headlines. USA Today published a latter signed by more than 200 former Republican staffers in support of her presidential campaign.
Of course, many began wondering what Republican might end up in Harris’ cabinet after her comment during the CNN interview, but she did not reveal any specific names of Republicans she is considering, or what positions she might give them.
According to The New York Times, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s “name immediately began trending on social media, as Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans fantasized about the prospect of their unexpected hero serving in a Harris administration.”
Cheney – daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney – was a member of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, along with former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, also a Republican. Both have been critical of Trump. While Cheney did not speak at the Democratic National Convention last week, Kinzinger did.
“Democracy knows no party,” he said, before urging people to vote for Harris. “It’s… it’s a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation.”
Other Republicans who endorsed Harris during the convention were media personality Ana Navarro; Mesa, Ariz., Mayor John Giles; former lieutenant governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan and former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, according to NBC News. Olivia Troye, a former Trump administration official, was also at the convention, said the outlet.
Newsweek also asked generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool, ChatGPT the following question: “Kamala Harris said she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet if she won the presidency. Give me a list of five likely Republicans she might pick and why they would be good options and suggest which Cabinet role they could do.”
ChatGPT did not identify Cheney, Kinzinger or the Republicans who spoke in favor of Harris at the DNC. Instead, it suggested Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ark.) as secretary of the Interior, former Ohio Governor John Kasich as secretary of Health and Human Services, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) as secretary of state, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) as secretary of commerce and Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) as secretary of education.