Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent CNN interview, her first since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, was torched by critics just hours after the pre-taped interview aired.
The interview, which aired Thursday night, featured Harris alongside her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Critics, including the Trump campaign and conservative commentators, have blasted the interview over evasions, inconsistencies, and poor performance.
During the interview, Harris defended the Biden administration’s economic policies, referring to “Bidenomics” as “good work.”
The Trump campaign quickly responded, accusing Harris of avoiding key issues and spending insufficient time addressing critical topics like the economy and immigration.
Other critics blasted her tax-and-spend plans —
CNN just had an interview with her and didn’t ask her how she would expect people to pay that. And how she claims to advocate for the middle class with such a policy.
— Emma-Jo Morris (@EmmaJoNYC) August 30, 2024
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In an email blast, the Trump campaign listed numerous points they claim Harris failed to address, including her past support for ending cash bail for violent criminals, defunding the police, and her stance on various immigration policies.
They characterized Harris as still being a “San Francisco radical.”
Missing from the interview was any explanation whatsoever from Kamala on the destruction she has unleashed on the American people during her term — or any substantive plan to fix the messes she created.
She's WEAK, FAILED, and DANGEROUSLY LIBERAL.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 30, 2024
Conservative critics went further, describing the interview as a “trainwreck.” They pointed to the presence of Governor Walz as a sign that Harris couldn’t handle the interview alone.
Some noted that portions of the transcript appeared to show CNN host Dana Bash answering questions for Harris, further fueling criticism of the vice president’s performance.
Despite being pre-taped, the broadcast was labeled as “live,” leading to further criticism. Additionally, some viewers claimed that Harris appeared to be reading from pre-written notes during the interview —
Anyone else notice that #Kamala is constantly staring down at prewritten notes during this interview?
She can’t even remember her own TALKING POINTS. 😂
Unbelievable! The fact that Fake News #CNN and Dana #Bash are letting her use notes is an ABSOLUTE DISGRACE! #Trump2024 pic.twitter.com/2Y0MtBOTAP
— The Beer Legend (@thebeerlegend) August 30, 2024
The interview touched on several policy areas, including the economy and immigration, but critics argue that Harris spent too little time on these crucial issues.
Supporters of the administration defended Harris’s performance, and emphasized her focus on the achievements of “Bidenomics,”