Vice President Kamala Harris reacted to a report that former President Donald Trump was backing out of interviews because he was “exhausted,” questioning if he was able to “handle the rigors of the campaign trail.”
The report from Politico Playbook said that the Trump campaign had been in talks with The Shade Room, a media company with a website and shows posted on social media that draw an audience that is “largely young and Black,” but “weeks” went by and the show producers felt like the campaign was dragging its feet. Eventually, reported Politico, “a Trump adviser told The Shade Room producers that Trump was ‘exhausted and refusing [some] interviews but that could change’ at any time, according to two people familiar with the conversations.”
The Harris campaign has sought to highlight stories like this to draw a contrast with the 19-year age gap between her and Trump, criticizing him for refusing to participate in another debate and mockingly posting “Hope he’s okay” with a video of Trump’s bizarre behavior at a Pennsylvania event promoted as a town hall but which devolved into 39 minutes of the ex-president dancing on stage to some of his favorite songs. Harris also recently released her medical records and called on her 78-year-old Republican opponent to do the same.
The vice president took some swipes at Trump on these issues Friday at a campaign speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “And now he is ducking debates and canceling interviews,” she said. “Come on. And check this out — his own campaign team recently said it is because of exhaustion. Well, if you’re exhausted on the campaign trail, it raises real questions about whether you are fit for the toughest job in the world. Come on!”
A reporter caught up with Harris in Grand Rapids on Friday and asked her about her comments about Trump’s “exhaustion” and his appearance at the Al Smith Dinner in New York City the previous evening.
“As you were talking about him being exhausted, do you think that’s one reason why he chose to go to New York City, rather than come out here on the campaign trail?” she asked.
“Well, I’m beyond getting into the head of Donald Trump,” Harris replied with a chuckle. “But I will say that it should be a concern if he can’t handle the rigors of the campaign trail. Is he fit to do the job? I think it’s a legitimate question.”
CNN News Central anchor Brianna Keilar asked Larry Sabato what he thought about Harris “making his energy an issue at a time when other people are looking at some of his recent erratic behavior, making that an issue — how much of an issue is it right now?”
“It’s already an issue,” replied Sabato, noting that this had been an issue when Trump was running against President Joe Biden, but at that time, Biden “was taking most of the spotlight away” about age-related mental issues.
“But in Trump’s case, he keeps providing evidence that there is a problem,” Sabato continued. “It’s not just that he won’t release his medical records, which is really unprecedented. I mean, you have to go back to the ’60s to find a candidate who wouldn’t tell the truth about his medical conditions. That was, as we know, John F. Kennedy, and it matters, it matters a lot.”
“And I think the Democrats and Vice President Harris are absolutely correct to focus on that and to focus on all these building examples, not just of his word salads, but of the strange way he’s behaving,” he said, saying that “those 39 minutes while he was playing DJ, calling up tunes and dancing” were “just plain odd.”
“Finally, we have a use for the word weird that makes automatic sense to everybody,” he concluded.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
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Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe.
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