Vice President Kamala Harris is adding to her recent “media blitz” that until now has included stops at mostly friendly news outlets, talk shows and podcasts (which the Democratic presidential nominee has still inexplicably managed to bomb).
Yet, this week, she’s shaking things up and doing her first ever sit-down interview with Fox News. The interview will take place Wednesday with Fox News anchor Bret Baier.
Baier has said that he won’t treat Harris with kid gloves during their conversation, and that any editing of the interview will only be for “timing” and that “no topic is off the table.”
Sounds promising.
Kudos to Harris for agreeing to appear on a network shunned by most of her progressive base – and one that may ask her tough questions.
So is Harris doing this interview because she wants to show she’s serious about extending an olive branch to Donald Trump-weary Republicans? She has claimed that she will include a Republican in her Cabinet if she wins, and she’s flipped on so many of her uber progressive policies that it’s enough to make one’s head spin.
I think the Fox News appearance is about something else.
She’s worried.
Kamala Harris’ popularity is tanking
Like the rest of us who follow the presidential race, Harris has no doubt seen recent polls that show her and former President Trump in a dead heat. Trump also has gained ground in key battleground states like Michigan.
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Add to that, Harris’ tanking popularity. A recent NBC News poll showed a significant drop in her popularity from September. While her approval ratings surged from historically low numbers after replacing her boss on the ticket this summer, her honeymoon period appears to be waning.
The NBC News poll found that Harris dropped from a 48% positive rating versus 45% negative (net +3) to 43% positive and 49% negative (net -6).
That’s not the kind of trajectory any candidate wants just weeks from the election.
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It’s very possible that all of Harris’ recent media appearances are reminding voters of why they didn’t like her in the first place.
Regardless, Harris is committed now to getting in front of as many audiences as she can, and that’s why she’ll be on Fox News. She needs as many moderate conservatives and independents to vote for her as possible, and she’s running out of time to reach them.
Fox News interview could backfire for Harris
There’s also the real possibility that Harris could further erode her ratings.
Just look at how her other interviews have gone, even with more friendly journalists and personalities.
For instance, during her media blitz last week, Harris appeared on ABC’s “The View,” which is hosted by a bunch of Harris fan girls.
Yet, she wasn’t ready for even this softball from one of the hosts: “If anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?”
Her answer left a lot to be desired: “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”
That’s hard to believe, given she knows she must separate herself from President Joe Biden in the minds of voters.
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Later that same day, however, Harris appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and wasn’t prepared for a nearly identical question. Colbert asked what “major changes” there’d be between a Harris and Biden presidency, and she could muster only this:
“Well, I mean, I’m obviously not Joe Biden, and so that would be one change.”
That was a huge gift to the Trump campaign, which wants to tie her directly to the Biden-Harris administration’s failures.
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And then there was the “editing-gate” controversy following her appearance on CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”
A teaser for the interview included one of Harris’ “word salad” answers regarding what’s happening in the Middle East. But when the show aired, her answer was much more succinct.
That has led to broad calls for the network to release the transcript so the public can see for themselves what Harris actually said. While journalist Bill Whitaker did a good job asking fairly pointed questions on immigration and the economy, the cleanup editing makes it hard to trust the rest of the interview.
Harris won’t be getting any special favors from Fox News. Perhaps this interview will be the country’s best chance to hear the vice president answer for her record in office – and give us a clearer answer about what she really believes.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Opinion: Harris’ Fox interview is a sign the election is slipping away
