Kamala Harris’s Fox News interview on Wednesday took a sharp turn when Bret Baier pressed her with tough questions about her record, leaving the Vice President noticeably frustrated.
Her senior campaign adviser, David Plouffe, didn’t mince words after the interview, calling it an “ambush.” Plouffe, known for his role in Barack Obama’s successful campaigns, took to Twitter to defend Harris’s performance, claiming she handled the grilling much better than Trump did during his own recent Fox town hall.
Kamala Harris (strong) handled an ambush Fox interview light years better than the hash Donald Trump (unstable) made of the Fox pep rally disguised as a town hall.
— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) October 16, 2024
Harris’s team clearly viewed the interview as a pivotal moment, especially since she has largely avoided the press during the campaign, choosing instead to engage in more controlled interviews with friendly outlets.
Wednesday’s appearance on Fox marked a shift in strategy, likely in an attempt to regain momentum as her polling numbers continue to slump. Harris’s responses, however, often pivoted back to Trump rather than addressing Baier’s questions head-on.
Bret Baier asked incredibly tough and pointed questions of Vice President Harris tonight–just as he did previously with former President Trump.
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) October 16, 2024
The tension hit a peak when Baier asked Harris how she planned to move beyond the policies of the Biden-Harris administration. Her exasperated response, “You and I both know what I’m talking about,” left Baier asking, “What are you talking about?” It was a clear sign of how fraught the exchange had become.
Meanwhile, Trump has continued to engage with the media regularly, granting interviews across various platforms, including a sit-down with Bloomberg News the day before Harris’s Fox appearance. As Harris’s polling numbers in swing states decline, her campaign appears to be doubling down on portraying Trump as “unstable” while trying to refocus the conversation away from her own record.
Bret Baier asked incredibly tough and pointed questions of Vice President Harris tonight–just as he did previously with former President Trump.
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) October 16, 2024