CNN's Abby Phillips said Vice President Kamala Harris' approach to immigration and other key issues is to “look past the whole thing” and avoid getting into the minutiae.
Phillips made the remarks during a panel discussion on his evening news show, “Newsnight,” where participants were discussing the Harris campaign's recent announcement that the vice president would visit the southern border to highlight her skills on immigration issues.
Immigration is seen as a strength of Harris' Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, and polls show he is more trusted by the public on the issue.
The resurfaced video also shows Harris taking part in a march in Los Angeles in 2018, where she is heard yelling, “Stop deporting, stop deporting.”
CNN's Phillips said Harris' campaign had scheduled a “last-minute visit” to the southern border on Friday because the vice president and his aides knew Harris “had to do something” on immigration.
Her comment was Mediaite reported.
“She wants to change the perception that she's soft on immigration,” Phillips said, adding that polls show Trump “is doing better on this issue.”
Mr Phillips then accused the Harris campaign of trying to “ignore” the issue.
“One of the things that's distinctive at the moment is the Harris campaign is trying to ignore the finer details on immigration and on some of this policy and just ignore the whole thing,” the CNN host said.
“But this shows they recognized they had to do something.”
The Washington Post has reached out to Harris' campaign for comment.
