The interview Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave on Fox News Wednesday night? Oof. It was a complete disaster from start to finish, a “train wreck” in every sense. From the first question, it was clear Harris was way out of her element. Tough questions from reporters? That’s not exactly her usual scene. Honestly, you’d have a hard time finding many moments in her career where she’s had to face anything more challenging than a softball.
Things got so uncomfortable that Fox News anchor Bret Baier later revealed a behind-the-scenes nugget: apparently, several of Harris’ aides were frantically gesturing off-camera, signaling him with a sort of “cut it off!” panic. It was that bad. And if that wasn’t enough, Baier mentioned that Harris’ team also pulled the classic ice-the-kicker move—showing up late for the interview to run out the clock. If that was their plan to soften the blow, it backfired spectacularly.
Listening to how Kamala Harris answered @BretBaier‘s questions, I think she was employing a “Google strategy” – encouraging Fox viewers to search what she was saying – since many of the points she made are rarely heard on Fox. She also plugged her campaign website at the end. pic.twitter.com/dVMcUirch1
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 16, 2024
Meanwhile, CNN’s Brian Stelter jumped into the fray with an interesting spin. Stelter, known for being the unofficial media referee, claimed Harris walking into a Fox News interview was like stepping into a “Trump campaign field office.” According to him, Baier might as well have been acting as a stand-in for Trump himself. But here’s where it gets interesting: Stelter wasn’t just analyzing the interview. He pretty much-carried water for the Harris campaign, turning their talking points into his own.
Stelter shared a quote from Harris spokesperson Ian Sams, who boasted that the mere act of sitting down with Fox News was proof of Harris’ toughness. According to Sams, “She’s strong, she can handle adversaries, while Trump is cowering in his comfort zone.” And just like magic, Stelter repeated the line almost word-for-word. “Instead of debating Trump,” Stelter mused, “she debated Baier, and viewers will see that as a sign of strength.”
This Fox interview “says something about the two candidates,” @IanSams says. “It says that, you know, she’s tough, she’s strong, she can go toe to toe with adversarial people, and Donald Trump’s weak and withdrawn and retreating to his comfort zone.” pic.twitter.com/JZITp0k7mk
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 16, 2024
What’s wild here is how seamlessly this narrative was crafted. Harris’ team drops the talking point. A former Biden campaign staffer agrees with it. Then Stelter packages it as his own hot take. And boom, a media narrative is born. Harris wins just for showing up.
The funniest part? Stelter accused Baier of acting like a Trump surrogate, all while he himself was practically playing Harris’ PR manager on air. You couldn’t write a better example of media bias if you tried. It’s like the media-politician feedback loop on full display, and they didn’t even try to hide it. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction—and way more predictable.
