Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier on Wednesday underscores the Democratic Party’s growing engagement with the network, which has a strong base of Donald Trump supporters. Since the party’s August convention, Democrats have appeared on Fox News at nearly double the rate compared to President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. This is also notably higher than during Hillary Clinton’s 2016 run, according to network reports.
The question of whether to avoid Fox News or use it as a platform to influence its audience has long been a point of debate among Democrats. During his 2020 campaign, Biden did not appear on the network. Clinton made two appearances: once during her primary campaign and once in the summer of 2016.
Ian Sams, a spokesman for the Harris campaign, explained the party’s stance: “The vice president, Governor Walz, and our campaign believe it’s important to communicate with all Americans, regardless of where they get their news or entertainment. We want them to hear directly from us — not through filters — about who Vice President Harris is and what she aims to achieve.”
Meanwhile, former President Trump has expressed his discontent with Fox News, criticizing the network for giving airtime to Democrats, including Sams, who was interviewed by several Fox News hosts earlier this week. Trump remarked on Truth Social, “It’s not worthwhile doing interviews on Fox because it all just averages out into NOTHING,” accusing the network of losing its way.
Trump himself appeared on Fox in a pre-recorded town hall with female voters on the same day Harris sat down with Baier. In their interview, Baier and Harris debated on topics like immigration, the economy, and polls indicating many Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. The discussion was heated, with moments where the two seemed to be talking past each other.
