Topline
Vice President Kamala Harris told Fox News’ Bret Baier on Wednesday her presidency “will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency” if she wins next month, defending her record as vice president in a contentious interview with the longtime Fox host—her first-ever appearance on the network as the race remains razor-thin.
Harris speaks at a campaign event Wednesday before her interview with Baier airs. (AP … [+]
Key Facts
At one point in the almost 30-minute conversation on Fox News’ “Special Report,” Baier asked Harris if anything came to mind that she would do differently from Biden if she were elected, after she said in a previous interview nothing “comes to mind,” prompting Harris to tell Baier she hasn’t spent most of her career in Washington, DC, and she would solicit ideas from Republicans and business leaders.
Later, Baier asked Harris if she had noticed a decline in Biden’s mental acuity, to which she defended Biden’s record but said “Joe Biden is not on the ballot … and Donald Trump is”—a recurring theme from the interview, as Harris often sought to direct the conversation toward Trump.
Harris and Baier kicked off the interview with a contentious discussion about immigration, a tough issue for Harris, with Harris largely avoiding criticizing Biden-era policies and attempting to steer the conversation toward former President Donald Trump and his attempts to kill a bipartisan border bill.
Harris told Baier she does not believe in decriminalizing border crossings, a reversal of her stance in 2019, when she told “The View” she was “in favor of saying that we’re not going to treat people who are undocumented [and] cross the borders as criminals.”
Harris, repeating a comment she has levied against Trump before, said the former president used the bill to boost his campaign and accused him of preferring to “run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
Harris also doubled down on her comments this week in which she called Trump “increasingly unstable,” deflecting a question from Baier about her potential presidency and blasting Trump as someone who is “unfit to serve.”
Baier and Harris talked over each other multiple times during the interview, creating tense exchanges that once led to Harris insisting she was “in the middle of responding to” a point that was raised by Baier.
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Key Background
Harris’ interview on Fox News comes after the vice president was criticized by Republicans for not agreeing to more interviews ahead of the election and taking interviews with sympathetic outlets like “The Howard Stern Show,” “The View” and “The Breakfast Club.” Harris also recently made an appearance on “60 Minutes.” Wednesday’s interview marked her first formal sit-down with the right-leaning media outlet. Harris spokesman Ian Sams told Vanity Fair’s “Inside the Hive” the Fox News interview would serve Harris well because of the network’s high ratings—it consistently out-rates CNN and MSNBC—and its share of viewers who are undecided voters. Sams also framed the interview as an opportunity for Harris to speak to viewers who he said are often “fed a bunch of crap” by Fox News, whose opinion hosts are frequent Harris critics and Trump defenders. Trump, for his part, has sat for several interviews on Fox News, but recently backed out of interviews with CNBC and CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
Will Harris Appear On Joe Rogan’s Podcast?
Harris is considering sitting for an interview with the “Joe Rogan Experience,” which is among the most popular U.S. podcasts, Reuters reported—another unlikely platform for the vice president.
Further Reading
Trump And Harris May Appear On Joe Rogan’s Podcast—Despite His Harsh Comments About Both (Forbes)
The Latest: Harris continues media blitz with 3 more national interviews (AP)