US Politics Election Extra: Harris on Fox News - Mic Drop or Disaster?
Table of Contents 📖
"Did she answer all the questions exactly how the Fox News person would have wanted them answered? No. She would have evaded certain questions and pivoted to talk about what she wants to do, which is much what what most politicians do anyway"
Hello Team
🎦 00:00-00:09⏩
Jonathan welcomes viewers to another ATP Geopolitics video - a US Election special about Kamala Harris's interview with Fox News.
Return to top⤴️
Kamala Harris Interview with Fox News - Background
🎦 00:09-04:12⏩
Jonathan describes how Kamala Harris's appearance on Fox News was unusual as it's rare for Democrat Presidential nominees to appear on the channel. He speculates that her objective in doing the interview was to appeal to Fox News viewers who have only ever seen her through a "Fox News lens". He says that both sides will have had an agenda - Democrats would have been looking for soundbites to use on social media and Fox News would have been looking for "gotcha" moments to discredit her.
Return to top⤴️
What did Brett Baier think?
🎦 04:12-07:22⏩
Jonathan points out that Brett Baier thought that Kamala Harris "did alright" and achieved her objective of getting a "viral moment" - to "have a go" at Donald Trump. He then plays a clip of what he considers to be the key "soundbite" moment.
Return to top⤴️
The Key Clip - Kamala Harris calls out Fox News
🎦 07:22-12:20⏩
Jonathan plays a clip of part of the interview where Brett Baier asks Kamala Harris why half of the country would vote for Trump if he's as bad as she says. She responds that she would never call the American people stupid - that it's Donald Trump who demeans the American people. Jonathan observes how she appears to become genuinely angry when she calls out Trump's rhetoric. She accuses Trump of wanting to use the military against the American people and cites the Chairman of Joint Chiefs, Mark Milley, who (according to Bob Woodward's book) thought Trump was a threat to America. Jonathan then plays the clip of Fox News showing Trump's response. He explains that rather than showing Trump's response to the question about the "enemy within" Fox News had edited the clip to include a less inflammatory response. Kamala Harris challenges Brett Baier on this - "that's not what you just showed". Jonathan points out that this is disingenuous of Fox News.
Return to top⤴️
Analysis of the Interview
🎦 12:20-14:45⏩
Jonathan analyses the interview, saying that rather than focusing on whether people loved or hated it, the key demographic were the undecided voters who don't engage heavily in politics. He believes that Harris's performance would have appealed to these viewers as she was strong and articulate and didn't resort to "word salad" like Trump. He thinks she was right to pivot every question to attack Trump as Fox News viewers wouldn't hear those criticisms anywhere else. He acknowledges that whilst she didn't answer all the questions in the way Fox News would have liked, this is what most politicians do.
Return to top⤴️
Impact on the Polls
🎦 14:45-19:51⏩
Jonathan moves on to look at the polls, urging viewers not to obsess over them. He points out that despite good early showings for Harris, the polling average had narrowed and that this was being used by Trump supporters to present a narrative that he was doing well. He then mentions that he had been listening to Simon Rosenberg who says that the Republicans are gaming the polls. He illustrates this with an example of a poll that says that if Norway could vote, Harris would win by a landslide, joking that maybe Norway should get a vote! He then dismisses a New York Times article that suggests Black voters are turning away from the Democrats, highlighting that the latest CBS poll says otherwise. Jonathan talks about Simon Rosenberg's theory that the Republicans are relying on the perception that Trump is ahead as their main campaign strategy. He then warns viewers to be wary of Polymarket (Nate Silver's betting website) as Americans can't bet on it so it's likely to be being manipulated to make it look as though Trump is ahead.
Return to top⤴️
Leaked Republican Memo
🎦 19:51-22:05⏩
Jonathan talks about a leaked Republican memo, that suggests that contrary to the narrative that Republicans are doing well in the Senatorial races, the Democrats are actually doing well. He points to the example of the Texas race where Ted Cruz was "mauled" in a recent debate. He finishes this section by observing that whilst the Democrats might not take the Senate this election, they could still make significant gains.
Return to top⤴️
Trump pulls out of interviews and debates
🎦 22:05-23:49⏩
Jonathan contrasts Donald Trump's approach of refusing to be interviewed (he had pulled out of appearances on CBS 60 Minutes and CNBC Squawkbox as well as refusing to debate Kamala Harris) with Kamala Harris who is embracing every opportunity to get her message across. He believes that going on Fox News has paid off for her as she came across well and held her own in a hostile environment.
Return to top⤴️
Wrap Up
🎦 23:49-23:51⏩
Jonathan asks viewers to share their views in the comments and to be respectful.
Return to top⤴️
