Vice President Kamala Harris will sit for a trio of interviews Tuesday, but don’t expect a thorough grilling at any of them from some of the media’s most fervent Democratic Party supporters.
Harris will make appearances with ABC’s “The View,” radio star Howard Stern and CBS late-night comic Stephen Colbert, all hosts of extremely friendly venues for the Democratic candidate who have repeatedly railed against her opponent.
The co-hosts of “The View,” a talk-show under ABC’s news division, have repeatedly expressed support for Harris and devote segments on an almost daily basis to attacking former President Trump as a threat to democracy.
The co-hosts quickly got behind the vice president in September in their season premiere after President Biden dropped out of the race and praised her “flawless” campaign.
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Harris did an about-face on multiple far-left policies she openly supported when she ran for president in 2020, including on fracking, the Green New Deal, and on getting rid of private health insurance. Liberal co-host Sunny Hostin argued in early September that the vice president had always been “moderate.”
“People evolve and grow,” Whoopi Goldberg said, dismissing Harris’ flip-flops during the discussion. “The difference, perhaps now, is that someone has actually admitted it.”
Co-host Joy Behar even recently demanded Republicans vote Democrat to “save the country.”
The show’s two Republican hosts, former Trump aide Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro, join the liberal hosts in criticizing the former president as an existential threat to the nation. Navarro even hosted night two of the Democratic National Convention in August.
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“For me to have the chance to stand on that stage and help my girl, Kamala, make history, and become the Democratic nominee, it’s just such a mind-blowing moment,” Navarro said.
Griffin has not emphatically endorsed the vice president, but plans to headline an anti-Trump event in Pennsylvania alongside other anti-Trump Republicans such as Liz Cheney, who has endorsed Harris.
Navarro touted the Harris interview on “The View” and said her Tuesday media blitz was evidence the vice president was facing tough questions. CNN’s Brian Stelter also suggested on Monday that the co-hosts of “The View” would have “sharp” questions for Harris on Tuesday.
Late-night comedy has become a hotbed for Democratic Party support in recent years, but Colbert has taken it to another level with his fawning monologues and interviews in recent years.
Colbert hosted a fundraiser alongside Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and President Biden in March, prior to Biden dropping out of the race. The star-studded Democratic fundraiser brought in over $25 million for Biden’s campaign. In 2020, he popped champagne on the air over Biden and Harris winning the election.
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Colbert’s political and media guests have almost solely consisted of Democrats and liberal media figures. Colbert has hosted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, CNN’s Abby Phillip, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, MSNBC’s Alex Wagner, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Mark Kelly, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Bill Gates, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, and more.
Stern, who had the rare chance to sit down with Biden before he dropped out, has said he “hates” anyone who supports Donald Trump.
“I don’t agree with Trump politically, I don’t think he should be anywhere near the White House. I don’t hate the guy. I hate the people who vote for him. I think they’re stupid. I do. I’ll be honest with you, I have no respect for you,” Stern said during one of his shows in September.
The blitz this week follows a “60 Minutes” appearance and an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. Media analysts said Harris’ approach of doing more softball interviews made sense given some of her shortcomings.
“Harris tends not to communicate effectively, whether it’s her long-winded, non-answer answers or her demeanor, so for her it does make more sense to appear in friendly venues,” said communications expert Tobe Berkovitz, a Professor Emeritus at Boston University.
Even Harris’ other interviews before Tuesday have skewed toward being friendly, such as with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle. Lesley Lopez, a public affairs professional and assistant professor at George Washington University, dismissed the idea that Harris was erring by avoiding difficult interviews.
“One man’s so-called bubble campaign is another’s strategic earned media plan. I think her campaign is being really targeted in the final days of an election where the margins are slim,” she told Fox News Digital.
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who is now a Fox News host, said the trio of friendly interviews is a “great idea” but questioned the timing as Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a Category 5 monster storm heading towards Florida.
“I would have her, if I was on her team, in FEMA headquarters in the mornings, then you can go out and do a campaign stop, and then back to FEMA headquarters,” McEnany said Monday on “Outnumbered.”
