The internal polling must be bad.
Kamala Harris recently emerged from her Bidenesque bunker to begin a series of interviews. The VP appeared on a podcast named Call Her Daddy, The View, and Stephen Colbert's show. Not exactly enemy territory, to be sure.
In a move seen by some as an act of desperation to bolster her flagging campaign, Harris has now agreed to sit down with Bret Baier of Fox News.
I think it's a Hail Mary pass. Why would the Harris campaign suddenly agree to an interview with the 'evil' Fox News if hiding in the basement was working? They wouldn't. They're willing to accept the risk now because they know they're in trouble.
Join me tomorrow on #SpecialReport for my exclusive interview with @VP Harris. Have a question for her? Leave them in the comment section below #FoxNews #SpecialReport #2024 #Politics pic.twitter.com/Clggi3zf0Z
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) October 15, 2024
I may be in the minority on the political Right, but I trust Bret Baier. He followed Brit Hume's lead on Special Report, playing the role of impartial moderator, and he's done it well.
No one has the questions. Except me. Thanks. https://t.co/zeA7ewwtOb
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) October 14, 2024
Baier answered a variety of questions … more like accusations … on Twitter/X concerning how he would conduct the interview.
Not true. No concessions. Thanks for watching while you have. https://t.co/Z9Uh5ZmkkW
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) October 14, 2024
The opinions ranged from believing Baier would give Harris the questions, that he must have agreed to demands from the Harris campaign to land the interview, and complaints about the format.
Thanks Dennis - the interview will run as-live - unedited - uninterrupted - without commercials - not “cleaned up”. All of it will air from the first word to the last. Thanks for your confidence - hope you tune in. https://t.co/BcIB9ZPQlA
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) October 15, 2024
Some, myself included, see Bret Baier as a straight shooter.
Thanks Tom - there were no preconditions to get the interview. No one has the questions ahead of time —except me. No topic is off the table. And if there is any editing -it will be very minimal for timing and will be editorially the same question and answer- we are pre taping the… https://t.co/Ci0617RuKv
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) October 14, 2024
I agree. If you're expecting Bret Baier to conduct the interview in the same vein as Sean Hannity, Judge Jeanine, or Rachel Maddow, you're going to be sorely disappointed.
Trump and his online allies do not view Baier favorably.
Trump has officially called out Bret Baier
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) October 14, 2024
Says he is “very soft”
Also says Fox News is “weak and soft on the Democrats”
If Bret doesn’t hold Kamala accountable, we are going to unleash hell on his reputation (again)
I hope he impresses us with a big turnaround! pic.twitter.com/6rNl7cUcdD
Baier will be professional, allow Harris to answer, and likely engage in very little 'fact-checking' - an activity best left for talking heads and private citizens after the candidate has spoken. He won't shy away from pressing her to give an answer if she dodges his question entirely.
Live-to-tape isn’t at all uncommon and doesn’t mean an interview was edited — it literally means it’s running as-is. Bret is a polite host but I’ve never known him to not ask the hard questions. Folks should give him a chance. https://t.co/KPzYmEROT0
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 15, 2024
Baier has an opportunity to ask questions that the mainstream media won't ask. This is where he will succeed or fail as a journalist for me.
There are plenty of policy-based questions I expect Baier to address (e.g., border security), but there are three questions in particular I believe should be asked of VP Harris because none of her softball-throwing cheerleader interviewers are going to do it. They are questions that point directly to whether the American people can trust her. (We can't.)
Why did Joe Biden drop out of the race, and what role did Harris play in his decision?
The history books will record that Joe Biden left the presidential race in the waning months of the campaign, citing internal pressure from congressional Democrats and not wanting to be a 'distraction' if the race was too close. It was an incomplete, ambiguous answer and the media dutifully accepted it without skipping a beat.
The sitting Vice President of the United States, who was summarily made the party's nominee has yet to be asked why Joe Biden left the race.
This is journalistic malpractice.
The question has not been asked because every answer reflects poorly on Democrats, and the mainstream media's top priority is protecting Democrats.
If Biden left because of questions about his fitness, why did Harris insist he was fine? If he's not fit to run, why is his vacant stare still gazing at the walls of the Oval Office? If Biden was forced out because of bad poll numbers, the party claiming to 'save democracy' from Donald Trump should explain why throwing out the democratic process of the primary election is not sheer hypocrisy.
Harris needs to explain to the American people what happened and why they should accept her selection by big donors and powerful Democrat politicians instead of the candidate their voters chose.
I want to know why she lied and covered for Biden’s mental health condition for so long.
— Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) October 15, 2024
How can the American public trust Harris’s flip-flopping on issues like fracking?
Harris should be asked about her flip-flopping on long-held policy positions. Fracking is the primary example.
We know she said she would ban fracking. She knows she said she would ban fracking. The mainstream media has allowed her to lie about her former statements without question.
Baier needs to ask her why the American people should trust her shift in policy now, during a political campaign, over what she has said in the past.
She will have an answer for this, of course, and the American people can judge her sincerity. (It won't go well for her.)
Why did she lie about Biden’s dementia? Can she explain what fracking is?
— Nick (@Nickster0188) October 14, 2024
What is Harris’s response to the recent plagiarism charges?
Harris should be questioned about the recent charges of plagiarism. Again, this is a trust question.
It's also a breaking news question and Baier would not be doing his job well if he ignores it. I can't even begin to guess how Harris will dance around the question, but I'm certain there aren't any good answers.
Harris:
— joe miller (@joemill37087868) October 14, 2024
Can you explain this? pic.twitter.com/bc5GG9AZv2
My prediction is that Baier will shoot straight and deliver a fair interview. What Bret Baier's detractors shouldn't miss is that he'll allow Harris to speak. There's a reason her handlers have kept her on a short leash.
Some on the right will likely say he was too soft or actively trying to help Harris. If he asks the three questions above, in some form or another, I'll be pleased.
Here's the thing: Allowing Kamala Harris to speak, unscripted, is the most devastating thing one could do to the Harris campaign.
I think that's exactly what Baier will do.
