Baier has said that he won't treat Harris with kid gloves during their conversation, and that any editing of the interview will only be for “timing” and that “ no topic is off the table .”
Sounds promising.
Kudos to Harris for agreeing to appear on a network shunned by most of her progressive base – and one that may ask her tough questions.
I think the Fox News appearance is about something else.
She’s worried.
Kamala Harris' popularity is tanking
Like the rest of us who follow the presidential race, Harris has no doubt seen recent polls that show her and former President Trump in a dead heat. Trump also has gained ground in key battleground states like Michigan .
Add to that, Harris’ tanking popularity. A recent NBC News poll showed a significant drop in her popularity from September. While her approval ratings surged from historically low numbers after replacing her boss on the ticket this summer, her honeymoon period appears to be waning.
The NBC News poll found that Harris dropped from a 48% positive rating versus 45% negative (net +3) to 43% positive and 49% negative (net -6).
That’s not the kind of trajectory any candidate wants just weeks from the election.
Regardless, Harris is committed now to getting in front of as many audiences as she can, and that’s why she’ll be on Fox News. She needs as many moderate conservatives and independents to vote for her as possible, and she’s running out of time to reach them.
Fox News interview could backfire for Harris
There’s also the real possibility that Harris could further erode her ratings.
Just look at how her other interviews have gone, even with more friendly journalists and personalities.
Yet, she wasn’t ready for even this softball from one of the hosts: “If anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?”
Later that same day, however, Harris appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and wasn't prepared for a nearly identical question. Colbert asked what “major changes” there'd be between a Harris and Biden presidency, and she could muster only this:
That was a huge gift to the Trump campaign, which wants to tie her directly to the Biden-Harris administration’s failures.
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Harris won’t be getting any special favors from Fox News. Perhaps this interview will be the country’s best chance to hear the vice president answer for her record in office – and give us a clearer answer about what she really believes .
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