A body language expert who analyzed Vice President Kamala Harris’ first interview with the media since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee tells Fox News Digital that she believes Harris was ‘not confident in what she’s saying’ and lacked a presidential demeanor. 

The vice president sat down alongside running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday night for a CNN interview after largely avoiding the press since ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket, yet she appeared to frequently look down while responding to questions.

‘When I look at her overall demeanor, she does not carry the confidence or the presidential appearance in her demeanor to command in her position,’ body language expert Susan Constantine told Fox News Digital. ‘So for everything that I saw last night, she definitely needs to make some tweaks into her body language to appear more confident.’ 

‘The fact that she’s looking down a lot removes a lot of the fluidity and the authenticity,’ she added. 

Near the beginning of the interview, Harris was asked twice about her ‘day one’ agenda but gave overarching answers instead of responding with a specific executive order or directive.  

‘When she struggles, you start to see a lot of the head bobbling. You know, the head bobbling is ‘what part of the file in my subconscious am I going to pull out? Which ones are my answers?’’ Constantine said about Harris. ‘She couldn’t come up with a crystal clear answer, and that’s why she tends to bobble.’

‘When you bobble and waffle like that,’ she continued, ‘that’s another signal that she’s not really… prepared. She doesn’t really have confidence in her own answers.’ 

‘When you’re breaking gaze, that is a form of deflection,’ Constantine also said. ‘So when you’re removing an eye gaze, not making good eye contact, it’s just showing me that she’s not confident in what she’s saying.’ 

Harris sat next to Walz during the interview in Savannah, Georgia, and Constantine said Harris was ‘consistently looking for acknowledgment’ during the event. 

‘She is looking for that signal from Walz to see if he’s on board. Many times when we see him, he’s got the pressed lips — that tends to be a more serious, more collected, expression in his mouth,’ she said. 

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about Harris’ performance in the interview. 

‘Overall, you know, as one woman to another, I would say if you’re going to be a woman in power, you have to look like a woman in power,’ Constantine said. ‘And she doesn’t at this time.’ 

Fox News’ Emmett Jones, Emma Colton and Matteo Cina contributed to this report. 

There are 67 days until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

But if Americans vote like they did in the last two election cycles, most of them will have already cast a ballot before the big day.

Early voting starts as soon as Sept. 6 for eligible voters, with seven battleground states sending out ballots to at least some voters the same month.

It makes the next few months less a countdown to Election Day, and more the beginning of ‘election season.’

States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, like members of the military or people with illnesses. 

In some states, almost every voter casts a ballot by mail.

Many states expanded eligibility in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to vote in-person.

That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in-person and 41% voting by mail.

Early voting remained popular in the midterms, with 57% of voters casting a ballot before Election Day.

Elections officials stress that voting early is safe and secure. Recounts, investigations and lawsuits filed after the 2020 election did not reveal evidence of widespread fraud or corruption. 

The difference between ‘early in-person’ and ‘mail’ or ‘absentee’ voting.

There are a few ways to vote before Election Day.

The first is , where a voter casts a regular ballot in-person at a voting center before Election Day.

The second is , where the process and eligibility varies by state.

Eight states vote mostly by mail, including California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Registered voters receive ballots and send them back.

Most states allow any registered voter to request a mail ballot and send it back. This is also called mail voting, or sometimes absentee voting. Depending on the state, voters can return their ballot by mail, at a drop box, and/or at an office or facility that accepts mail ballots.

In 14 states, voters must have an excuse to vote by mail, ranging from illness, age, work hours or if a voter is out of their home county on Election Day.

States process and tabulate ballots at different times. Some states don’t begin counting ballots until election night, which delays the release of results.

Voting begins on Sept. 6 in North Carolina, with seven more battleground states starting that month

This list of early voting dates is for guidance only. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, go to Vote.gov and your state’s elections website.

The first voters to be sent absentee ballots will be in North Carolina, which begins mailing out ballots for eligible voters on Sept. 6.

Seven more battleground states open up early voting the same month, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.

September deadlines

In-person early voting in bold.

Sept. 6

North Carolina – Absentee ballots sent to voters

Sept. 16

Pennsylvania – Mail-in ballots sent to voters

Sept. 17

Georgia – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas

Sept. 19

Wisconsin – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 20

Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas
Minnesota, South Dakota – In-person absentee voting begins
Virginia – In-person early voting begins
Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 21

Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas
Indiana, New Mexico – Absentee ballots sent
Maryland, New Jersey – Mail-in ballots sent

Sept. 23

Mississippi – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent
Oregon, Vermont – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 26

Illinois – In-person early voting begins 
Michigan – Absentee ballots sent
Florida, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent
North Dakota – Absentee & mail-in ballots sent

Sept. 30

Nebraska – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 4

Connecticut – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 6

Michigan – In-person early voting begins 
Maine – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent
California – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent
Montana – In-person absentee voting begins
Nebraska – In-person early voting begins 
Georgia – Absentee ballots sent
Massachusetts – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 8

California – Ballot drop-offs open
New Mexico, Ohio – In-person absentee voting begins
Indiana – In-person early voting begins
Wyoming – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent

Oct. 9

Arizona – In-person early voting begins & mail ballots sent

Oct. 11

Colorado – Mail-in ballots sent
Arkansas, Alaska – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 15

Georgia – In-person early voting begins
Utah – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 16

Rhode Island, Kansas, Tennessee – In-person early voting begins
Iowa – In-person absentee voting begins
Oregon, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 17

North Carolina – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 18

Washington, Louisiana – In-person early voting begins
Hawaii – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 19

Nevada, Massachusetts – In-person early voting begins 
Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas – In-person early voting begins 
Colorado – Ballot drop-offs open

Oct. 22

Hawaii, Utah – In-person early voting begins 
Missouri, Wisconsin – In-person absentee voting begins

Oct. 23

West Virginia – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 24

Maryland – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 25

Delaware – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 26

Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, New York – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 30

Oklahoma – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 31

Kentucky – In-person absentee voting begins

The Trump-Vance campaign released a statement Thursday night following Vice President Kamala Harris’ first media interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, calling her a ‘San Francisco radical’ and highlighting aspects of her record that were not discussed in the interview. 

‘[Harris] said her values ‘have not changed’ three separate times. She’s still a San Francisco radical,’ the campaign said. 

Among other things, the Trump-Vance campaign said that CNN’s Dana Bash did not bring up Harris’ history of supporting ‘ending cash bail for violent criminals, fundraising for the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which freed rioters,’ her ‘vote for tie-breaking vote for American Rescue Plan, which economists say fueled inflation,’ and her ‘support for closing immigration detention centers and freeing thousands of criminals into American neighborhoods.’

‘[Harris] spoke for just over 16 minutes and didn’t even address the crime crisis in this nation. She spent a mere 3 minutes and 25 seconds talking about the economy and 2 minutes and 36 seconds talking about immigration,’ the statement said. 

During her interview, Harris said she believes Americans are ready to ‘turn the page’ on former President Donald Trump.

She also defended her work as the appointed border czar for the Biden administration and that her work ‘resulted in a number of benefits.’

‘The root causes work that I did as vice president that I was asked to do by the president has actually resulted in a number of benefits, including historic investments by American businesses in that region, the number of immigrants coming from that region has actually reduced since we began that work,’ she said. 

‘When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward, in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by, by hope and by optimism. I think, sadly, in the last decade, we have had in the former president, someone who has really been pushing an agenda, and in an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans — really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that,’ Harris said. 

This was in response to what she would accomplish on day one of a Harris presidency, which Bash later had to press for more detail. 

Harris’ most detailed plans revealed in the Thursday night interview included a $6,000 child tax credit – similar to what the Trump-Vance campaign earlier had announced as a policy plan –  and a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homeowners. 

Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for her first interview with the media since rising to the top of the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, shedding light on President Biden’s call announcing he was dropping out of the race, as well as defending her recent policy flip-flops.

Harris rose to the top of the ticket after Biden dropped out of the race last month following his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June. The debate, which included Biden tripping over his words and losing his train of thought, opened the floodgates to traditional Democratic allies of the president joining conservatives in sounding the alarm over Biden’s mental acuity and 81 years of age. 

The highly anticipated sit-down marks the first interview Harris has held in 39 days, when she became the presumptive nominee. Harris has largely avoided the media since ascending the Democratic ticket, only rarely answering media questions while on the campaign trail and holding no press conferences. 

Harris was joined by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for the pre-taped CNN interview that aired Thursday evening. 

Following Harris’ first sit-down interview with the media since ascending the ticket, Fox News Digital compiled the top five moments from the Savannah, Georgia, interview as the election cycle comes down to its final months. 

Harris fumbles ‘day one’ question 

Harris was asked twice about her ‘day one’ agenda, but gave overarching answers instead of responding with a specific executive order or directive. 

‘The voters are really eager to hear what your plans are. If you are elected, what would you do on day one in the White House?’ Bash asked Harris. 

‘Well, there are a number of things. I will tell you first and foremost one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class. When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by — by hope and by optimism.,’ Harris responded. 

‘I think sadly in the last decade, we have had in the former president someone who has really been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans — really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that.

‘So what would you do? Day one?’ Bash pressed. 

‘Day one, it’s gonna be about one, implementing my plan for what I call an opportunity economy. I’ve already laid out a number of proposals in that regard, which include what we’re gonna do to bring down the cost of everyday goods, what we’re gonna do to invest in America’s small businesses, what we’re gonna do to invest in families,’ Harris said. 

‘For example, extending the child tax credit to $6,000 for families for the first year of their child’s life to help them buy a car seat, to help them buy baby clothes, a crib. There’s the work that we’re gonna do that is about investing in the American family around affordable housing, a big issue in our country right now. So there are a number of things on day one.’

Harris says she made position clear on allowing fracking in 2020 — except it wasn’t hers

Harris doubled down in the interview that she would not ban fracking if elected, claiming she made ‘clear’ where she stood on fracking during the 2020 election. 

‘No, and I made that 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 bid for president in 2019 and joined President Biden’s ticket, she said during a CNN town hall ‘there’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking’ on her first day in office. 

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 saying Biden would not ban fracking. Fox News Digital reviewed a transcript of the 2020 vice presidential debate and found ‘fracking’ was mentioned nine times, with Harris using the word twice. 

‘Joe Biden will not end fracking. He has been very clear about that,’ Harris said during the debate in 2020 cycle. 

‘I will 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 portion of the debate. 

Walz cites ‘grammar’ for false claim on guns he ‘carried in war’

Gov. Walz attempted to blame his grammar when asked about his prior comments that he wants to ban guns like the ones he ‘carried in war,’ even though he never saw combat during his time in the Army National Guard. 

‘The country is just starting to get to know you,’ Bash noted before asking him about his 2018 remarks. ‘I want to ask you a question about how you described your service in the National Guard. You said that you carried weapons in war, but you have never deployed, actually, in a war zone. A campaign official said that you misspoke. Did you?’

Walz responded: ‘Well, first of all, I’m incredibly proud. I’ve done 24 years of wearing the uniform of this country. Equally proud of my service in a public school classroom, whether it’s Congress or — or the governor. My record speaks for itself, but I think people are coming to get to know me. I — I speak like they do. I speak candidly. I wear my emotions on my sleeves, and I speak especially passionately about — about our children being shot in schools and around — around guns.’ 

Bash again asked if he misspoke, sparking Walz to admit he did while citing his ‘grammar.’ 

‘Yeah, I said — we were talking about in this case, this was after a school shooting, the ideas of carrying these weapons of war. And my wifem the English teacher, told me my grammar’s not always correct. But again, if it’s not this, it’s an attack on my children for showing love for me, or it’s an attack on my dog. I’m not gonna do that, and the one thing I’ll never do is I’ll never demean another member’s service in any way. I never have and I never will,’ he responded.

Harris dodges whether Biden endorsed her in phone call he was dropping out 

Harris dodged answering whether Biden endorsed her to run in his place when he first called and informed her he was bowing out of the election amid mounting concern over his mental acuity. 

‘What about the endorsement? Did you ask for it?’ Bash asked Harris. 

‘He was very clear that he was gonna support me,’ Harris responded. 

‘So when he called to tell you, he said, ‘I’m pulling out of the race, and I’m gonna support you?,’’ Bash pressed Harris. 

‘Well, my first thought was not about me to be honest with you. My first thought was about him, to be honest. I think history is gonna show a number of things about Joe Biden’s presidency. I think history is gonna show that in so many ways it was transformative, be it on what we have accomplished around finally investing in America’s infrastructure, investing in new economics, in new industries, what we have done to bring our allies back together, and have confidence in who we are as America, and grow that alliance, what we have done to stand true to our principles including the — the — one of the most important international rules and norms, which is the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ she said. 

Biden did endorse Harris just minutes after dropping out of the race in a message on X. 

‘My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,’ he wrote. 

Harris would appoint a Republican to the cabinet if elected 

Harris said that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet if elected, which follows a tradition of presidents bringing on or retaining politicians from across the aisle until recent history. 

‘You had a lot of Republican speakers at the convention. Will you appoint a Republican to your cabinet?’ Bash asked. 

‘Yes, I would.,’ Harris responded, noting she does not have a specific person in mind. 

Before the respective Trump and Biden administrations, presidents have historically appointed politicians from the opposite party to their cabinet or kept on politicians from a previous president of the opposite party. 

Transportation Secretary under the Bush administration, Norm Mineta, for example, was a Democrat, while President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Defense was Republican William Cohen, and former President Obama retained Bush’s Republican Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. 

Vice President Kamala Harris, in her first media interview since taking over the top of the Democratic ticket roughly 40 days ago, said she had ‘a number of things’ in mind for day one priorities should she take the Oval Office but didn’t divulge much in the way of specifics. 

She did say she believes Americans are ready to ‘turn the page’ on former President Donald Trump.

‘The voters are really eager to hear what your plans are. If you are elected, what would you do on day one in the White House,’ CNN’s Dana Bash asked Harris, who was flanked by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. 

‘Well, there are a number of things I will tell you. First and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class,’ Harris said. 

‘When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward, in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by, by hope and by optimism. I think, sadly, in the last decade, we have had in the former president, someone who has really been pushing an agenda, and in an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans — really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that,’ Harris replied. 

‘So, what would you do? Day one?’ Bash pressed. To which Harris said, its going to be about one implementing my plan for what I call an opportunity economy.’

‘I’ve already laid out a number of proposals in that regard, which include what we’re going to do to bring down the cost of everyday goods, what we’re going to do to invest in America’s small businesses, what we’re going to do to invest in families,’ Harris said. 

‘For example, extending the child tax credit to $6,000 for families for the first year of their child’s life, to help them buy a car seat, to help them buy baby clothes, a crib,’ she said. 

Notably, extending the child tax credit, though it differs slightly, was first a policy announcement by the Trump campaign. 

‘There’s the work that we’re going to do that is about investing in the American family around affordable housing, a big issue in our country right now. So there are a number of things on day one,’ Harris stated. 

Later in the roughly 26-minute, pre-taped interview, Harris said one of her proposals included a tax credit of $25,000 for first-time home buyers. 

‘What we need to do to bring down the cost of housing. My proposal includes what would be a tax credit of $25,000 for first-time home buyers, so they can just have enough to put a down payment on a home, which is part of the American dream and their aspiration. But do it in a way that allows them to actually get on the path to achieving that goal and that dream,’ she said. 

Walz, for his part, said he is ‘excited’ about Harris’ agenda. 

‘As I said, the idea of inspiring America to what can be and I think many of these things that the vice president’s proposing are, are things that we share in values,’ he said.