Harris' first sit-down interview with Fox News was combative

Oct. 16, 2024 Updated 7:56 PM PT

Harris’ half-hour interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, her first formal sit-down with the cable channel, was testy at times.
She struggled when pressed on positions she had previously taken about issues such as allowing undocumented immigrants to receive driver’s licenses, free college tuition and free healthcare.

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump sought to appeal to voters outside of their natural bases of support in a series of interviews Wednesday, a reflection of how tight the presidential contest is with less than three weeks until election day.

In the most combative interview since Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, she discussed border policy, taxpayer-funded benefits for transgender prisoners and President Biden with Fox News’ Bret Baier on his program “Special Report.”

Harris, who has repeatedly been asked where she differed with Biden during their tenure, has struggled to provide examples without being disrespectful to the man who chose her to be his running mate. She offered her clearest answer on the matter during the interview.

“Let me be very clear, my presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency, and like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas,” Harris said. “I represent a new generation of leadership. I, for example, am someone who has not spent the majority of my career in Washington, D.C.”

Trump sought to appeal to Latinos and women during appearances on Univision and Fox News.

During a town hall in front of an all-women audience in Georgia, the former president was questioned about championing the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the federal right to abortion and its impact on reproductive services such as in vitro fertilization.

After falsely claiming wide agreement among legal scholars for the issue of abortion rights being returned to the states, Trump declared himself “the father of IVF.”

Trump said he learned from Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), whom he described as “just a fantastically attractive person,” about the impacts on fertility treatment.

“And within about two minutes, I understood it. I said, ‘No, no, we’re totally in favor of IVF,’” Trump said, adding that he put out a powerful statement and the entire Republican Party came out strongly in favor of access to fertility treatments. “We want fertilization.”

The presidential candidates’ appearances in front of disparate audiences reflect the tightness of the presidential race, and how both are trying to increase their support among groups that are traditionally less likely to support them.

Harris’ half-hour interview with Baier, her first formal sit-down with the cable channel, took place amid a media blitz by the Democratic nominee, and was testy at times. Fox News’ chief political anchor frequently interrupted Harris as she responded to his questions, and frequently referred to her as “ma’am” rather than “vice president.”

But Harris struggled when pressed on positions she had previously taken about issues such as allowing undocumented immigrants to receive driver’s licenses, free college tuition and free healthcare.

“Listen, that was five years ago, and I’m very clear that I will follow the law,” she said. “I have made that statement over and over again, and as vice president of the United States, that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

Pressed with a follow-up question about her previously expressed support for using taxpayer dollars to fund gender transition care for prison inmates, Harris argued that a similar policy existed during Trump’s tenure. She accused Trump of fearmongering with ads about the issue.

The Trump campaign painted Harris’ appearance on Fox as a victory for the Republican.

“Kamala Harris’ interview with Bret Baier was a TRAIN WRECK. Kamala was angry, defensive, and once again abdicated any responsibility for the problems Americans are facing,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “She couldn’t give a straight answer to a single question because she has no answers.”

Harris sought to turn several questions to Trump’s fitness for office, repeating her increasingly frequent characterizations of him as unfit and unstable.

Donald Trump speaks during a Univision town hall on Wednesday in Doral, Fla.

“The American people have a concern about Donald Trump, which is why the people who know him best, including leaders of our national security community, have all spoken out ... and have said he is unfit and dangerous and should never be president of the United States again, including his former vice president,” she said.

Earlier in the day, Harris spoke at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia that will be key to determining who wins the battleground state. It’s the site of George Washington’s historic crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776 alongside 2,000 troops en route to a significant victory in Trenton, N.J., during the American Revolution.

Underneath a red banner reading “Country over party,” Harris appeared alongside several Republicans, including former Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Barbara Comstock and Denver Riggleman of Virginia, Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania and former Trump administration official Olivia Troye.

Harris said she was joined by more than 100 Republicans from across the nation who are supporting her campaign.

“Now, in a typical election, you all being here with me, would be surprising. But not in this election. Because at stake in this race are the democratic ideals that our founders, and generations of Americans, have fought for. At stake in this election is the Constitution itself,” she said. “We are here today because we share a core belief: that country must come before party.”

A spokesperson for Harris said the event with Republicans and the Fox News interview are aimed at independents and Republicans who backed candidates such as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley who may be open to supporting the vice president’s candidacy.

“We feel like like we definitely achieved what we set out to achieve in the sense that she was able to reach an audience that is probably been not exposed to the arguments she’s been making on the trail and she also got to show her toughness in standing tall against a hostile interviewer,” spokesman Brian Fallon told reporters aboard Air Force Two on a Wednesday evening flight between Trenton and Milwaukee.

Harris’ campaign has seized upon comments Trump made this week about using the military to go after “enemies from within” in the United States. The former president reiterated his stance, citing Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as examples.

“They are marxists and communists and fascists,” Trump said on Fox News. “These people, they’re so sick, and they’re so evil. If they would spend their time trying to make America great again, we would have — it would be so easy to make this country great. But when I heard about that, they were saying, I was, like, threatening. I’m not threatening anybody. They’re the ones doing the threatening. They do phony investigations. I have been investigated more than Alphonse Capone. He was the greatest gangster.”

Also on Wednesday, Trump faced sharp questions about his views on immigration, the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, climate change, his handling of the pandemic and other issues during a Univision town hall with Latino voters in Florida. One Republican explained his concerns about the former president before saying he wanted to give him an opportunity to earn his vote back.

“Maybe we’ll get your vote,” Trump replied, according to the New York Times. “Sounds like maybe I won’t, but that’s OK too.”

Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Bierman from Washington Crossing.