Vice President Harris and Fox News host Bret Bayer engaged in a 30-minute showdown Wednesday night that was more like a debate than an interview.
Mr. Baier asked Ms. Harris some of her toughest questions since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, often cutting her off before she could fully answer them.
At one point, Mr. Baier aired portions of former President Trump's remarks from an earlier town hall on Fox, which Ms. Harris ripped as deceptively edited.
Occasional interruptions and small talk made it difficult for viewers to follow the conversation. However, Harris and her team ended the interview satisfied with the results.
Here's why:
Harris can now say he has entered the lion's den.
Harris has been repeatedly criticized by Trump and others for her reluctance to respond to tough interviews. On Wednesday, her campaign said she clearly did so.
“We were able to reach an audience that maybe didn't know that she had advocated for on the trail before, and we were also able to show her toughness in standing tall. “We feel like we definitely accomplished what we set out to accomplish in response to a hostile interviewer,” Harris campaign communications adviser Brian Fallon told reporters after the interview.
Giving an interview to Fox is a risky move that Harris has previously avoided.
Still, Harris is trying to win over some Republican voters who don't want to vote for Trump, many of whom watch Fox News.
“Jousting with Fox's biggest stars helps counter legitimate criticism that she refuses to ask tough questions,” said C. Stewart Verdelli Jr., a former George W. Bush administration official. . “She was able to make her case in front of a large audience on important issues. If you can move one out of 1,000 voters, that's important.”
This gives Harris a point to make in the constant battle between camps over who is more willing to give tough interviews. President Trump had a rather hostile interview with Bloomberg earlier this week.
“Tactically, Ms. Harris could score points by emphasizing the Mr. Baier interview and showing that she is not afraid to step into dangerous territory and answer difficult questions, while Mr. Trump could hide “to avoid debates and tough interviews,” said Leftist co-founder Jim Kessler. Center Think Tank Third Way.
Attracting female voters
Harris has a lead over Trump among women voters, but she needs to widen that lead.
The Fox interview, which included a portion in which Mr. Baier interrupted Ms. Harris and asked Ms. Harris to speak, could help her in this regard. She stood her ground and showed a tougher side, frequently sparring about immigration, President Biden's physical fitness and President Trump's rhetoric.
It's unclear whether Beyer's response will make some female voters who watch clips of the exchange more likely to support Harris. But it is possible.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban, an ally of Ms. Harris, praised the vice president for standing up to Mr. Baier and not backing down under pressure from him, saying Trump would have given him a controversial interview. He suggested that he would have responded differently.
“She gave policy examples. She gave real-world context,” says Cuban.mentioned on social platform x. “when [Baier] I chased after her. She didn't call him by name. She didn't stop doing interviews. She didn't make it up. She never complained that the questions were difficult. She never played the victim card. She didn't throw tantrums. She didn't take the bait to disparage or badmouth Trump supporters. ”
Share her message with strangers
The interview drew 7.1 million viewers, and during the roughly 30-minute segment, Harris showed off aspects of her personality and interjected topics such as plans for affordable housing and small business expansion. is completed.
She tried to get her message across, but it mostly included criticism of Trump. The effort was seen as a victory for her camp, as it was viewed by viewers who may not have seen her previous interviews, let alone her recent rallies.
When Baier tried to advance a question about Trump's “enemy within” comments about domestic rivals, she pushed back. Fox aired footage of a town hall aired earlier Wednesday in which Trump said, “I'm not threatening anyone.”
“That footage is not him talking about the enemy from the inside. … That's not what you just showed,” Harris said.
“You and I know that, and you and I both know that he's talking about turning the military against the American people,” the vice president added.
Her aggressive confrontation allowed her to get her point across about Trump and also set up a contrast with her rival.
“I think to some extent the fact that she was so combative and energetic and strong in a way was a great contrast to Trump, who seemed weak and trying to drag himself across the finish line here. '' said Jesse Lee. President Obama and President Biden's White House. “Right now, there's not a lot that's going to change the minds of undecided voters, but I think that contrast is one of them.”
she made some news
Harris sometimes struggled to find the right line when it came to Biden.
The vice president is loyal to the president and does not want to criticize the policies of the administration for which he has worked. That's not necessarily good politics.
But she's her own politician, her own candidate, her own person.
After airing a week ago that she wished the Biden administration had acted differently, she made it clear to Baier and Fox viewers that she was different from Biden.
“To be clear, my presidency is not a continuation of the Joe Biden presidency, and like every new president who takes office, I will draw on my own life experiences, professional experiences, and fresh ideas. I’m going to bring new ideas,” she told Baier. “I represent a new generation of leadership.”
Brett Samuels contributed to this report.
