Kamala Harris sets interview with a not-so-friendly outlet: Fox News
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Ms Kamala Harris will have a chance to deliver her message to a viewership that may be sceptical of her candidacy.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK - US Vice-President Kamala Harris has agreed to an interview with Fox News, the network said on Oct 14.
The interview, with Fox News’ chief political anchor Bret Baier will take place near Philadelphia on Oct 16, shortly before it airs at 6pm (6am, Oct 17, Singapore time) on his programme, “Special Report”. Ms Harris is expected to sit for 25 to 30 minutes of questions, the network said.
This is her first formal interview with Fox News, whose day-to-day programming is heavy on conservative punditry that often explicitly supports her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.
It could also represent an opportunity for the Democratic nominee three weeks before Election Day.
Ms Harris will have a chance to deliver her message to a viewership that may be sceptical of her candidacy. Her willingness to appear on Fox News may aid the perception that she is open to facing tough questions. And she can reach a swathe of independent voters, more of whom watch Fox News than CNN or MSNBC, according to research by Nielsen.
Senior Democratic officials have long shown hostility toward Fox News, going so far as to formally bar the network from hosting a primary debate in 2020. President Joe Biden has not appeared on the network since taking office, though he has jousted at news conferences with its senior White House correspondent, Peter Doocy.
But a thaw has occurred.
Ms Harris’ running mate, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, was interviewed on “Fox News Sunday” the past two weekends.
Mr Baier’s interview with Ms Harris is scheduled to air on the same day that Fox is set to broadcast an unusual town hall in which Trump plans to field questions on subjects like abortion, child care and day care from an all-female audience.
Trump is a frequent presence on partisan Fox News shows like “Hannity”; he has also kept up a heavy schedule of interviews on podcasts and other alternate media, including a video game celebrity’s streaming page. On Oct 15, he will be interviewed by the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, John Micklethwait, at the Economic Club of Chicago. NYTIMES
