Vice President Kamala Harris’s performance during a CNN town hall on Wednesday was panned by many of the network’s hosts and anchors. Dana Bash, the CNN anchor who has witnessed firsthand how Harris struggles under tough questioning, informed viewers Wednesday night that those who know her best felt her performance in a televised town hall was less than impressive.
The event was quickly followed by a panel featuring Bash, John King, Kaitlan Collins, Jake Tapper, and Abby Phillip, who assessed whether Harris had effectively “closed the deal” with undecided voters. Bash was particularly candid in outlining how campaign advisors believe she fell short. “I’ll just tell you what I’m hearing from people I’ve been talking to, and that is that if her goal was to close the deal, they’re not sure she did that,” Bash said. “And, you know, some people are asking, ‘Is she being held to a different standard?’ Maybe, but that’s maybe the world that she’s living in.”
Harris’s struggle to define herself to voters, particularly due to the noticeable shifts in policy during her time in the U.S. Senate, was further complicated on stage, Bash noted. “On the question of who she is, people are understanding that a little bit more, but what she will do — the question about her legislative priorities, name one — there wasn’t one,” she said, referencing an open-ended question offered to Harris by moderator Anderson Cooper that the VP whiffed on. “Some more of her personality and her character, sort of your weaknesses or what mistakes did you make… not necessarily the answers there.”
The event in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was part of Harris’s campaign’s new strategy to engage with the national media, coming roughly two months after aides kept the vice president out of the public eye for nearly 30 consecutive days without any press interaction. When she finally resurfaced for a major interview, it was with Dana Bash, who faced criticism for allowing running mate Tim Walz to join Harris.
Now, as successive polls confirm that any honeymoon period Harris may have had has completely dissipated, she is racing to regain ground against an opponent who has nowhere to go but up in the eyes of the electorate.
Harris’s shaky performance on Wednesday night included stumbles when asked about any regrets from her time in the White House or if she could identify a personal weakness or top priority if elected. These deflections accumulated, starkly confirming what aides have feared for months: allowing Harris more media exposure leads to numerous instances of her competing with President Joe Biden for the title of most gaffes in an election. Prior to her CNN town hall, Harris faced off against Fox News’ Bret Baier in a contentious interview that resulted in little more than heated exchanges, and a taped interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” drew criticism after detractors accused the outlet of deceptively editing her responses on foreign affairs topics
