This Thursday morning, Kamala Harris faced the most uncomfortable interview of the entire campaign on the conservative channel Fox News, Donald Trump’s media bastion. Three weeks before the elections, the Democrat entered the lion’s den to silence criticism from Republicans on the lack of interviews granted since she was a candidate and to try to reach undecided Republican voters. “My presidency will not be a continuation of that of Joe Bien,” Harris assured journalist Bret Baier.
“Like any new president who comes to the Oval Office, I will bring my life experience, my professional experience and my new ideas; I represent a new generation of leaders, as someone who has not spent his entire career in Washington ” Harris said. The vice-president, who spent a good part of her career in California as attorney general, thus sought to distance herself from the idea according to which the Democratic Party would embody the “Washington elites” against which Trump and his deputy, JD Vance, intend to fight. .
Never before has Harris distanced herself so much from Joe Biden’s presidency as she did tonight. Although his campaign was built on presenting himself as the party of change, he has always been proud of the legacy of the Biden administration. The turn not only seeks to get closer to Republican voters, but also to dismantle the attacks of the Republican Party, which recalls that Harris had three and a half years as vice president to promote his current electoral promises.
The fact that he has sought to distance himself further from Biden does not mean that he has given up on him. When Braier asked her about the president’s health and whether, before his resignation, she had had “any kind of concern” about him, the vice president reminded her that Biden “is no longer on the electoral roll, Trump is.”
“I think Americans are worried about Donald Trump, including those who know him best, including the leaders of our national security service who have spoken out about it. Even people who worked for him in the Oval Office and were with him in the Situation Room said he was not prepared for the presidency, that he was dangerous, and that he should not be president again. Including his vice president, which is why the position was now vacant to choose a new partner in the electoral race,” Harris said after a fierce fight with Baier. A dynamic that marked the dynamics of the conversation.
The key moment, and the one where Harris showed the most willingness to reach out to Republican voters and Trump supporters, was when Baier tried to paint her as someone who views the mogul’s voters as “stupid.” . “I would never say that about the American people and, in fact, if you listen to Donald Trump or watch any of his rallies, he is the one trying to demean American citizens. It is he who speaks of an “internal enemy”. An “enemy within” referring to the American population, suggesting that they would turn the military against the Americans.
After Harris’ response, Baier returned to the fray, showing a clip in which Trump was asked about the issue. “I didn’t threaten anyone,” the mogul says in the video and Harris responded, “Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect, this clip is not where he’s talking about.” the enemy within”. ” which he repeated when talking about the Americans. This is not what you showed. The response, as usual, was accompanied by further interruptions from the journalist.
The host devoted the first 10 minutes of the interview to the weak points of the Harris campaign, which Trump clings to the most: border management. As usual, the Democrat came forward by emphasizing that “the first law we presented to Congress” was the border law and recalled that it was Trump who was at the origin of his blockade. Harris managed to finish her sentence after an aggressive Baier interrupted her with constant questioning. “Please, you have to let me finish,” Harris calmly insisted. “I’m responding to the question you raise and would like to finish.”
Baier also brought up the names of women Trump frequently cites at his rallies as victims of undocumented immigrants. These names are also frequently mentioned on Fox News programs, which extensively cover everything happening at the border. “I’m really sorry for your loss, but let’s talk about what’s going on right now,” replied Harris, who quickly redirected to the Republican blockade of the border bill: “If the text had was passed nine months ago, it has been nine months since we would have had more agents at the border to ensure that no harm occurs in the future.”
Harris also made it clear that he was not in favor of decriminalizing irregular border crossings with Mexico. “I don’t believe in decriminalizing border crossings. I didn’t do that as vice president. And I will not do it as president,” she said.
The Fox interview is part of Harris’ campaign strategy to reach out to Republicans who are undecided or unconvinced by Trump. Before sitting down with Baier, the Democrat held a rally in Bucks County, Pa., attended by more than 100 Republicans, including Adam Kinzinger, a former congressman and member of the commission that investigated the attack of September 6. the US Capitol.
“No matter your party, no matter who you voted for last time, there is a place for all of you in this campaign,” the vice president said. Pennsylvania is one of seven key states in play on November 5 and will have the final say on seats in the Oval Office. The fact that Harris is also putting more effort into reaching more conservative voters is significant, considering that the stagnation he suffers between two important groups of voters: black men and Latinos. Even though Harris still manages to muster the majority of support within these groups, Trump manages to make an impact. Especially among Latinos.
