Kamala Harris on Fox News: ‘She had nothing to lose’
Kamala Harris braved “the lion’s den” with an appearance on the Republican-leaning Fox News, but was her interview a success or a flop?
Listen to this article
Read time: 4 mins
In brief…
- Kamala Harris appeared on the right-wing news channel Fox News, following a string of interviews on left-wing outlets with “softball” questions.
- The News Agents say she excelled when it came to tackling Trump and calling out Fox News, but fumbled the ball when she tried to distance herself from Biden’s administration.
- They say that if she even convinced a small number of Fox News viewers to switch their vote, the interview could be considered a success.
What’s the story?
Has Kamala Harris finally put her "head into the mouth of the lion" by giving an interview to Fox News?
Just last week, The News Agents suggested that "softball" interviews with outlets such as the Call Her Daddy podcast saw her preaching to the converted by speaking with shows that reach an audience already set to lend her their votes.
Fox News is a mainstream right-wing broadcaster in the US which is infamously unfriendly to the Democratic Party.
“She's changed her media strategy, and she is looking to convince people who wouldn't normally vote Democrat to come on side,” says Emily Maitlis.
“It's a strategy that might backfire.”
Jon Sopel says appearing on Fox News was a "huge deal" and also a "sign" – but he's unsure whether it's a sign of panic or self-confidence in the success of her election campaign.
"There were places where she absolutely smashed it, and places where I thought she looked pretty weak."
What did Harris do well?
Jon says Harris excelled when it came to speaking about Trump, his involvement in the 6 January insurrection and Fox News own failings in holding him to account over what happened when his supporters stormed the capitol.
Harris challenged Fox News's coverage when she called out the channel playing a misleading clip of Trump denying claims he had made threats to use the National Guard on "radical left lunatics", saying “the enemy within” was more of a danger to the US than overseas threats.
BOOM! Kamala Harris just called out Fox News TO THEIR FACE for trying to downplay Trump’s insanity. This is such an amazing moment and worth a watch! pic.twitter.com/UToqEwSpRL
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) October 16, 2024
Emily says this is the point when any Democrat watching would have been "on their feet, cheering" at seeing someone calling out Trump on a new channel that has been so supportive of him.
"There is something I have never seen before," she says.
"You are going on Fox News to call out Fox News for deliberately, willfully, mistakenly playing the wrong clip.
“She calls that out because that is media manipulation."
What was she weakest on?
Harris faced criticism for speaking too much about Trump instead of important topics she was pressed on, and lacking solid answers for questions on key election issues such as immigration.
But The News Agents agree her biggest failing was her attempt to distance herself from the Biden administration, of which she was a key part, while at the same time being unable to name anything she would have done differently during her time as his Vice President.
"My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency," Harris said.
"And like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas.
"I represent a new generation of leadership."
Jon says she's "walking a tightrope".
"She doesn't want to slag off Joe Biden, because that opens up a schism between her and the president," he says.
"But at the same time, she's got to mark out territory, which says I am different from him, but can't identify a policy that she thinks they got wrong."
What’s The News Agents’ take?
People on the left are claiming Harris was a huge success in the Fox News interview and those on the right are calling it a total flop.
The News Agents don’t believe it matters who's right either way.
This is because the majority of the Fox News audience is likely to be a right-wing Republican-voter already.
“I don't think she had anything to lose by going on Fox,” says Jon.
“If a bunch of Republicans who are going to vote for Trump anyway say, ‘I'm still voting for Trump’ well, you haven't shifted the dial.”
But he says if she even convinced a small number of people to switch their vote to the Democrats, then the interview can be considered a success.
“She has been painted as this terribly shy, timorous beast in her own cocoon and media biosphere,” he adds.
“I think it shows she's prepared to take a risk and take a chance.”