So this is what we’ve been waiting for since Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate for president.
Her first big interview.
Republicans were demanding it. The media was clamoring for it. And even her supporters were welcoming it.
Then it happened. Harris, along with her running mate Tim Walz, was interviewed Thursday afternoon by CNN’s Dana Bash. The interview, in its entirety according to CNN, aired Thursday night over an hour (including commercials) in primetime.
It turned out to be a good night for everyone involved — Bash, Harris and Walz. Put it this way: All came through unscathed.
Bash cannot be, pardon the pun, bashed for going too soft or being unfair. Harris was smooth and strong. And Walz, at the very least, did no harm. (Of course, there are some who will have issues with all three, especially staunch Donald Trump supporters … and Trump himself. And maybe even a few Harris supporters who think Bash was too tough.)
All in all, it was a respectable night, starting with Bash, who handled the big assignment professionally and admirably — even if it started with what seemed like an innocent question, but one that could have been a trapdoor for Harris.
The first question — the first two actually — was what would Harris do on Day 1 of her administration? It’s kind of a gotcha question when you think about it. Whatever answer she gives can be followed with, “Well then why aren’t you and the president doing that right now?”
That’s not to say it’s an unfair question. In some ways, it’s a natural way to start. You want to be president, so what are you going to do when you become president?
But it’s definitely a tricky question.
Harris managed to deftly navigate her way through it by giving a couple of specific examples of what she would do, but she did so without opening herself to criticism for anything negative that might be going on in the moment.
It was a good start for Harris, and for Bash. The early part of the interview featured tough questions focusing on Harris changing her positions on various topics, such as fracking and immigration.
Bash was particularly strong when she asked, “Generally speaking, how should voters look at some of the changes that you’ve made … in your policy? Is it because you have more experience now and you’ve learned more about the information? Is it because you’re running for president in a Democratic primary? And should they feel comfortable and confident that what you’re saying now is gonna be your policy moving forward?”
It was firm, but respectful. You can decide for yourself how Harris handled her answer, but it was a question that Harris needed to be asked, and Bash asked it.
When it came to Walz, Bash was equally tough, pushing Walz on his service record and following up when Walz tried to wriggle out of giving a direct answer. Bash's first question to Walz was short, to the point, and perfect: “Gov. Walz, the country is just starting to get to know you. I want to ask you a question about how you’ve described your service in the National Guard. You said that you carried weapons in war, but you have never deployed actually in a war zone. A campaign official said that you misspoke. Did you?”
When Walz tried to pivot out of his answer, Bash stayed on the topic and said, “And the idea that you said that you were in war, did you misspeak, as the campaign has said?”
Walz said, “Yeah, I said — we were talking about in this case, this was after a school shooting, the ideas of carrying these weapons of war. And my wife, the English teacher, told me my grammar is not always correct.”
Those were among Bash’s better moments, as was Bash asking Harris if she had any regrets about defending Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance that eventually led to him leaving the presidential race.
The first three-quarters of the interview were no-nonsense questions that hit on many of the topics that Harris and Walz needed to answer. Harris was asked about the economy, immigration, Israel-Gaza and working with Biden. She also asked, “(Trump) suggested that you happened to turn Black recently for political purposes, questioning a core part of your identity.”
To which Harris dismissively said, “Same old, tired playbook. Next question, please.”
It wasn’t until the final moments of the interview that Bash asked more personal questions about Harris’ grandnieces and Walz’s family, including the viral moment of his son crying tears of joy at the Democratic National Convention.
So now what? Will Harris do more interviews? Does she need to do more interviews?
CNN contributor Alyssa Farah Griffin, who worked in Donald Trump’s White House, said on air earlier in the evening that Harris should do more interviews, possibly with local reporters while campaigning around the country. And CNN’s David Axelrod said he doesn’t believe interviews are “landmines to be navigated,” but opportunities to push forth various thoughts and policies.
And one final note: Bash said on air that CNN also has invited Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, to be interviewed.
Let’s see if that ever happens.
