Her run-in with Bret Baier was actually eye-opening.

Well, Kamala Harris did it: She went to Fox News.

And viewers were quickly disabused of the idea that the broadcaster could approach the interview with minimal journalistic standards. When the second anchor, Bret Baier, faced the presidential candidate, it was clear that it would be a classic Fox News bunch.

Just to get an idea of ​​how that went: The very first The question Baier asked barely a breath after exchanging the meeting's pleasantries was: “How many illegal immigrants do you think your government has released into the country in the last three and a half years?”

The next 20 minutes or so were riddled with pitfalls and interruptions, coupled with outside video segments designed to undermine the vice president's answers. Whenever Harris started saying something other than exactly what Baier was clearly hoping for with his setup, he would interject to push her back into the background. (He also repeatedly called on Harris to apologize to the mother of a child killed by an unstatus immigrant.) The last five minutes were almost incomprehensible and almost entirely characterized by crosstalk, as Baier refused to allow Harris to speak uninterrupted let.

Of course, Harris wasn't just fighting on the ridiculously slanted terrain of Fox News. She also battled the network's chyrons, who were equally dismissive of her answers – one of which was “Going Nowhere Fast” – as well as an assembled spin room, whose members spent the back half of the hour-long block praising Baier and Harris to condemn “thin” answers and “rough” moments.

As if that weren't enough, Baier also complained that Harris, who arrived 15 minutes late to the scheduled interview time – the interview was taped an hour before broadcast – was the vice president as “the showstopper.” The ridiculous allusion to this phrase should tell you a lot about how Baier and the network viewed the interview: Baier and Harris were playing on opposite teams and Baier was trying to score points.

In fact, Baier made no attempt to display an inch of distance between himself, his network and the Trump campaign, which is actually competing against Harris.

In this way, the interview was less revealing about Harris and more about where the Trump campaign sees its strengths. Baier repeatedly hit Harris on immigration and transgender, issues that the Trump campaign clearly believes give it its biggest competitive advantage. (There are many reasons to doubt this approach. Republicans pushed hard against immigration in 2018 and promptly suffered their worst electoral defeat since the Trump decade. They did little better in 2022, pushing hard against “parental rights.” proceeded.)

Most revealing was the exchange on transgender issues, one of the few moments in which Harris appeared to improvise (as opposed to sticking to talking points). After Baier praised and then played a Trump attack ad highlighting Harris' previous openness to inmates having access (literally) to gender-inclusive health care, which is simply required by law, he called on Harris to do so react. Some Democrats have recently become more reticent about defending transgender issues, viewing it as a burden not worth taking on.

Harris' answer was crucial. “Donald Trump spent $20 million on these ads. On an issue that, as it deals with the biggest issues affecting the American people, is really quite remote.” Instead of capitulating to the Republican portrayal of the issue, as she might well be inclined to do, she did so as not major American concern. It was not an effusive endorsement of trans rights, but rather a summary rejection of a malicious attack on a vulnerable minority population.

There are also plenty of reasons to doubt Trump's approach on this issue – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear won re-election in 2023 as a Democrat in a very red state that openly defends trans rights. And it was remarkable to see that Harris didn't run away from it or try to triangulate.

In recent years, Democrats have made occasional appearances on Fox News, sometimes with success. Bernie Sanders held town hall meetings with the station and addressed voters with his political agenda. Pete Buttigieg has occasionally enjoyed sparring with the show's news anchors, sometimes defending the policies of the Biden administration in which he serves. And Gavin Newsom has made a show of having some ridiculous arguments with Sean Hannity, his old buddy.

Harris is not a friend of Baier and is not a fan of the debate team. She held her own but had few truly memorable moments. The idea that the event could have had the effect of convincing voters one way or the other seems very distant. Even if an undecided Fox News viewer tuned in at 6 p.m. (is there such a thing?) just for the interview and tuned out before the postgame commentary, the interview itself was so convoluted that it offered little clarity or ease . or personality. The Spin Room team later condemned Harris for a lack of “joy.”

Of course, the reactions to the interview were clearly polarized. The Harris team responded positively to the presentation, saying it showed strength and a willingness to go into the lion's den. The Trump team was delighted with the result. Trump, who had avoided debates and mainstream press spots, tweeted positively about Baier. His campaign team released the entire interview and called it “our latest ad.” And this says everything you need to know about Fox News' role in this endeavor: to.