TV Talk: What to know about Kamala Harris’ interview on Fox News
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Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is set to appear on Fox News Channel tonight. While Democrats do appear on Republican-leaning Fox News — especially frequent Democratic surrogate U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — they’re not in abundance, and a Democratic presidential nominee on Fox airwaves is rarer still.
Here’s what you need to know about Harris’ appearance.
When will it air?
The Harris interview will air on Fox News at 6 p.m. as a pre-taped interview with Fox News “Special Report” anchor Bret Baier.
Interview length
The interview will be taped at 5 p.m. and run for 25 to 30 minutes, per Fox.
Who is Bret Baier?
Baier is Fox News Channel’s chief political anchor. He joined FNC in 1998. Baier’s program is not part of the punditry that makes up Fox News’ prime-time block. Baier was an anchor during Fox’s 2020 election coverage when the network accurately predicted Joe Biden would win Arizona’s electoral votes, which caused an uproar among some Fox viewers. Baier later advocated for reversing the Arizona call because he was uncomfortable having to defend the call on air, per media writer Brian Stelter’s Reliable Sources newsletter.
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Conspiracy theories launched
The fact that tonight’s Harris interview is pre-taped immediately upset some conspiratorial-minded commenters on X, never mind that TV interviews have been taped and edited since time immemorial. Baier responded that this interview will be unedited and will air in its entirety. That didn’t stop a commenter from suggesting Harris will be fed answers to Baier’s questions through her pearl earrings. CBS has come under fire because of a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris in which a Harris “word salad” was edited, critics say, to make the vice president sound better.
Harris’ media blitz
Harris’ appearance on Fox News is part of a recent media blitz that’s largely been devoted to popular but more niche outlets rather than mainstream media, a strategy that’s irked some members of the media. For instance, Harris has appeared on “The View” and a “town hall” with Oprah.
But the move makes tactical sense: In an election as close as polls suggest this one is, playing to a broad spectrum of the electorate that has made up its mind makes less sense than going where the undecided or less-likely-to-vote-but-persuadable voters may be found. Hence, Harris’ appearance earlier this week on Charlamagne tha God’s radio show.