Vice President Kamala Harris was heavily criticized by viewers and political opponents following her CNN town hall appearance Wednesday evening in Chester Township, Pennsylvania, where she made pointed attacks about former President Donald Trump.
Critics said Harris was unable to articulate any specific policy positions, and seemed very unprepared.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod noted Harris’s tendency to evade direct questions.
“When she doesn’t want to answer a question, her habit is to kind of go to word salad city,” Axelrod said during CNN’s post-event analysis.
The Democratic presidential nominee made headlines by agreeing with moderator Anderson Cooper’s question about whether Trump and his supporters are fascists, and doubled down on her earlier social media comparison of Trump to Adolf Hitler.
“I do believe that Donald Trump is unstable, increasingly unstable and unfit to serve,” Harris said.
However, when pressed on specific policy matters, Harris frequently pivoted to references about her past career — not her current position as vice president of the United States.
When asked about rising grocery prices, she responded by citing her experience as Attorney General.
On illegal immigration and the open U.S.-Mexico border, she deflected a question about taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants by noting her prosecutor background.
CNN host Dana Bash, normally a Democratic ally, slammed Harris’ poor performance.
“If her goal was to close the deal [with undecided voters] they aren’t sure she did that,” Bash said following the event.
Political journalist Josh Kraushaar noted that when “asked what her legislative priority would be as president, she didn’t name one.”
Instead, Harris focused heavily on criticism of Trump rather than outlining her own agenda.
Kamala Harris’ town hall event last night was a complete disaster.
Here are her 7 worst moments of the night:
7. Kamala is asked what her biggest weakness is, responds by saying she values having a smart team of people with different perspectives.
6. Cooper asks a similar… pic.twitter.com/QjIEYFcKoN
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 24, 2024
The town hall comes as recent polls show a tight race between Harris and Trump in crucial swing states, with both candidates intensifying their efforts to reach undecided voters in the final weeks before the November 5 election.