Former Obama adviser David Axelrod said Vice President Kamala Harris did well during her 40-minute sit-down interview with CNN’s Dana Bash but that the interview did not do much to win over voters.
While Axelrod commended Harris for aspects of her interview, he said it wasn’t a “huge night.”
“I don’t think she moved the ball that much forward, but she certainly didn’t fall back,” he concluded.
With fewer than 70 days until the presidential election, Harris, with running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), gave her first sit-down news interview on Thursday. Meanwhile, her opponent, former President Donald Trump, gave several interviews in that time frame, including ones with pop culture figures such as Theo Von.
Harris has faced criticism from Trump and political pundits for waiting a long time before doing a sit-down news interview. However, others, such as filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, encouraged Harris to continue dodging press interviews so as not to ruin her momentum.
“It’s a mad f***ing dash, and she is running it,” Tarantino said. “She’s not stopping to stumble and … I’m going to vote for her f***ing anyway, no matter what she says in the stupid f***ing interview, so don’t f*** s*** up.”
By Axelrod’s estimates, Harris passed her first test. When asked about her perceived policy changes, such as fracking, Axelrod said she was a “good bridge” in saying that her values have always been consistent.
Axelrod also noted how Harris sought to create some distance from President Joe Biden by saying she was “turning the page” but also gave respect to what the administration has achieved.
“As she spoke, I thought it showed a certain character, the way she talked about Joe Biden,” he said. “She didn’t run away from him. She gave him, I think, his due. She understands there’s some political risk to that. That actually was elevating to me in a way that I hadn’t expected.”
Meanwhile, Trump slammed Bash, the interviewer, on Truth Social, saying she gave “weakly phrased questions” and that Harris “rambled incoherently.”
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“I look so forward to Debating Comrade Comrade Kamala Harris and exposing her for the fraud she is,” he wrote. “Harris has changed every one of her long held positions, on everything.”
Polling released on Thursday showed Harris leading Trump in the seven battleground states by an average of 2 points.