These Are The Questions Dana Bash Should Ask Kamala Harris In Pivotal CNN Interview: Media Reporter

[Music] hi everybody I'm Britney Lewis a breaking news reporter here at Forbes joining me now is Media contributing editor Sarah rump Sarah thank you so much for joining me thanks Britney it's good to be here it is a highly anticipated night vice president kamla Harris is sitting down for her first interview since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her so what are you looking out for tonight um it it's it's interesting because the response to this interview has been very different from both the left and the right um you know from the Democrat side obviously nobody's expecting that she would go the entire campaign all the way through November and never do a sit down interview but this idea that she can't do it or has to be holding somebody's hand that's coming from the right is is is very it it would be amusing if it weren't so sexist um you know this is an important interview um you know in my view CNN's Dana Bash was the right choice to moderate it she and Jake Tapper did a tough but fair job during the previous debate when Biden was still in the race um you know if they gone with MSNBC or somebody known to be a democratic Progressive operative then it would be accused of being a puff piece a joke if they'd gone with Fox News um you know they would have had somebody screaming at them about you're the borders are you're the borders are the whole time and know we this is this seems to be a good middle ground let's talk about the complaints from the right and the left here because since it was announced it was announced she will also be sitting with the Vice Presidential nominee Governor Tim Walls there have been complaints largely from the right um uh Alise stonic tweeted that this is offensive for women Megan McCain posted a similar sentiment I mean what do you make of those criticisms here you know again it is it is kind of you know oh this fake concern that this is somehow not a real interview um a number of people have pointed out on Twitter I know I know steart Stevens was tweeting at Scott Jennings on CNN who was making the same complaint saying that Scott Jennings himself had helped set up a joint interview with a presidential and vice presidential candidate this is very common to do a joint interview after the VP nominee has been selected Romney and Ryan did it McCain and Palin did it um you know this is this is not new and the idea that you know this could be videotaped on television and somehow kamla Harris who was a prosecutor who was attorney general who was Senator and is now Vice President would not be able to answer a question without a man sitting next to her you know if if she really isn't capable of answering a question without a big strong man holding her hand and whispering in her ear telling her what to he what to say we'll see that and that's that's just not going to happen it's it's an absurd sort of thing like oh she has to have her babysitter her shaper and her man with her she's incapable I no it's it's two people who are heading the ticket who are presenting their argument for why Americans should vote for them that's you know that's what's going on it's it's it's really not more complicated than that and Biden Harris sat for an interview four years ago too but do you think there's more pressure on this moment now because she has waited so long for an interview there is there there was a countdown I was getting alerts for a countdown it's been X many days without a press conference or tough questions I mean do you think that added to the pressure here yeah I mean that that in some ways was a strategic error on the part of the campaign but I don't think necessarily a fatal one um there there is a Counterpoint that the pressure of and time pressure specifically of getting everything in order after Biden dropped out I mean this was this is a really remarkable thing that happened over the past 30 plus days where the presidential candidate dropped out and another candidate was endorsed you know that Biden immediately endorsed her and and the Democrats lined up around her but there was a process they had to go through to get those votes in order you know I don't blame her for wanting to you know just kind of keep her head down and keep everybody happy and move along until that nomination was officially legally settled um but there have been you know she has been having a traveling press core with her she has been talking with them off the Record there have been a number of moments where she's answered quick questions getting in and out of the plane she did do a couple interviews with some of the content creators who were brought to the DNC again those are those are friendlies that's not really necessarily the same as a hard-hitting interview so you know this this is this is important that she's doing this tonight if they delayed it another week I think it would have been really a bad Lu you said that CNN's Dana Bash was the right person for the job here the interview is airing Thursday Prime Time 900 p.m. what questions do you think she needs to ask tonight um one of the things that has been a valid criticism in my view from both the right and the left is that she has changed positions on some issues now you know there there is the point you learn something and you change your mind that's that's one thing if you present a policy initiative that the American people don't want or can't get through Congress and you shift your view okay we can't do X but I think we can do y and that'll have this positive benefit that's not that's not weakness that's a sign of intelligence and adaptation but she has taken different positions on issues um she should be questioned about that and she should clarify where she stands and what the goals of a Harris walls Administration would be on these specific issues Americans have very real concerns about the economy immigration a number of these topics that if she is elected president she would have such you know direct influence on um that's she needs to clarify and and Bash needs to be not just ask the initial question but ask a follow-up question to make sure that details are nailed down I had an opportunity to sit down with Frank Lun last week and he said he would give advice to the campaign if he were advising it it'd be horrible for democracy but good for her campaign and that would be stay away from policy ignore the criticisms of not going out there not answering the questions but she is going out there she is answering the questions tonight so what do you think a win in the Harris campaigns book would look like tonight you know they've done a really good job so far on the messaging it's been very positive and it's also been Frank in a way if you look at the messaging that was just absolutely hammered over and over during the DNC throughout all the speeches was that not only is Donald Trump dangerous for what he is presenting as his platform for America for the things that he would do if he's reelected but that the Democrats and Harris and Waltz have a positive View and a positive plan for America as a as somebody who considers myself a politically homeless former Republican I was personally very happy to hear the number of former Republicans they had on stage um former congressman Adam kininger speech was very good KL Harris herself giving a very strong pro-america pro-al security foreign policy message was extremely reassuring um there have been constant complaints over the past decade or so from the right that Democrats are weak on National Security and foreign policy kamla Harris's message during the DN see was a very strong pro-al defense Pro-Am message and you know being able to continue that message of it's not just Donald Trump is bad but I am going to be good the if they can emphasize and they can get that message across that they have a specific plan they have specific ideas to give Americans a reason to vote for them and not just against Trump that's going to be be able to continue to build on the postcon momentum that we've been seeing in the poll so far as someone who describes themselves as a politically home homeless ex Republican what do you think a win for Donald Trump tonight looks like because ever since Biden dropped out Harris became the nominee he's been flailing campaign wise has been neck-and-neck with her in the polls just over the past couple of days has been reposting qanon related content SE sexually explicit jokes about Harris and uh Hillary Clinton I mean what's a win for him tonight you know the the trouble that we have with the current media environment is that the vast majority of people will not necessarily tune in to CNN and watch the entire interview live so if there is a clippable moment that goes viral that's damaging I I don't think that there's going to be anything that happens in this interview that will be a knockout punch and completely in the campaign but if you look at there was a previous interview that KLA Harris did with Lester Hol and she was asked about immigration and gave a very awkward sort of answer about have you been to the border and she I can see she was trying to make a joke well I haven't been to Europe you know meaning that you know I can still read on these issues I can still be intelligent on these issues I don't have to physically be standing looking at the re Grand River to be able to have you know be contributing to the policy on this the answer fell flat and it has been clipped and posted over and over and over by Trump supporters by Republicans to criticizer on the immigration issue if she has another answer like that where it's viewed as not answering the question or not being direct and transparent in her answer um I you know I I think it is something that the Trump Campaign Will gleefully capitalize on but you know on the flip side the the Harris campaign has been doing that to Trump quite a bit his last few press conferences they've clipped you know it seems like nearly the entire content that he's been producing and just sharing well this is what Trump just said this is what Trump just said so you know this is this is a tactic that we're going to see over and over from both sides until November well there's certainly a lot to look to tonight I appreciate you coming on providing a preview Sarah rum thanks for joining me once again all right thanks so much Britney